They nodded. 

‘Well, in the late fifteenth century, Europe was afire with talk of the New World. Many expeditions set off to conquer its rumoured cities of gold and with one of them went a man named Fernando Ortega. The Order had tasked him with cataloguing and preserving any significant finds. 

‘Ortega joined a group of Spaniards and Inca renegades, led by Francisco Pizarro, who ultimately conquered the Inca Empire. During this time, Ortega and his men worked in secret with the Incas to hide and safeguard many of their treasures in a hidden valley called the Garden of Inti.’ 

‘Who’s Inti?’ Veronique interrupted. 

‘The Sun God,’ Joe shushed her. ‘Read a book would you. Please, Jenny, go on’. 

Sam noticed the dark look Veronique shot him. 

‘Fernando Ortega fell in love and married an Inca princess and stayed in Peru. Their descendants have tended the Garden ever since. Over the last hundred years, as colonisation and over-population reached devastating heights, the Garden has become the last outpost for many flora.’