The Myst Reader

by Robyn Miller

  “Guild Master Aitrus?”

  The voice cut through the general babble of voices at the table. Aitrus looked up, expecting it to be one of the young guildsmen, then saw, just behind Lianis, a cloaked guildsman from the Guild of Messengers.

  Silence fell around the table. Aitrus set down his goblet, then stood. “What is it?” he asked.

  “An urgent message, Master,” the Messenger answered, drawing off one of his gloves, then taking a sealed letter from his tunic pocket. “I was told to ensure that you act upon its contents immediately.”

  With a smile, Veovis put out a hand. “Here. I’ll hand it to my friend.”

  The Messenger looked to Aitrus, who nodded. With a small bow to Veovis, he handed the letter to him, then stood back, pulling on his glove again.

  Veovis turned back, then handed the letter across. “Urgent business, eh, old friend? That looks like Lord Eneah’s seal.”

  Aitrus stared at the envelope a moment. Veovis was right. It was Lord Eneah’s seal. But when he opened it, the note was not from Lord Eneah, but from his father.

  He looked up. “Forgive me, Veovis, but I must leave at once.”

  “Is there trouble?” Veovis asked, genuinely concerned.

  Aitrus swallowed. “It does not say.”

  “Then go,” Veovis said, signaling to the others about the table to make way. “Go at once. But let me know, all right? If there is anything I can do …”

  Aitrus, squeezing past his fellow guildsmen, gave a distracted nod. Then he was gone.

  Veovis sat, staring across the crowded room, his face briefly clouded. Then, looking back at the others about the table, he smiled and raised his goblet. “To D’ni!” he exclaimed.

  A dozen voices answered him robustly. “To D’ni!”

  KAHLIS STOOD IN THE ENTRANCE HALL, PACING up and down, awaiting his son. It was midnight and the city bell was sounding across the lake.

  As the last chime echoed into silence, he heard the outer gate creak back and hurried footsteps on the stone flags outside. A shadow fell across the colored glass of the door panels.

  Kahlis stepped across and drew the bolt, pulling the door open.

  Aitrus stood there, wide-eyed and breathless. From the look of him he had run the last half mile.

  “What’s happened?” he said, looking past his father.

  Kahlis closed the door. “Come upstairs, Aitrus.”

  They went up, into his study. Closing the door quietly, Kahlis turned to him.

  “I have been asked to look after the outsider for a time. Lord Eneah summoned me this evening and asked me if I would take the girl, Ah-na, into my household, as a temporary measure. Until better arrangements can be made. He asked me because he understood my concern for the young woman.”

  “And you want me to agree to this?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I agree.”

  Kahlis went to speak again, then realized what his son had said. “You agree?”

  “I take it Mother has agreed. And you must have, else you would not be asking me.”

  In answer Kahlis went over to the door and opened it, then called down the steps. “Tasera!”

  His mother’s head and shoulders appeared at the foot of the stairs.

  “Tasera,” Kahlis said, “bring the young lady. I wish to introduce her to our son.”

  AS SHE STEPPED INTO THE BOOK-FILLED STUDY, Anna looked about her warily.

  “Aitrus,” Kahlis said, “this is Ah-na. She is to be our house guest for a time.”

  Aitrus bowed his head respectfully. “I am glad you will be staying with us.”

  “Thank you,” she said, their eyes meeting briefly as he lifted his head again. “I am grateful for your kindness in letting me stay.”

  “You are welcome,” Tasera interrupted, coming across to take Anna’s arm. “Now if you would excuse us, I must see Anna to her room.”

  The brevity of the welcome surprised her; yet she turned and followed the woman out and down the corridor.

  “Here,” Tasera said, opening a door and putting out an arm. “This will be your room.”

  Anna stepped inside, surprised. Compared to the Lodge, it was luxurious. Anna turned and bowed her head.

  “You are too kind, Tasera. Much too kind.”

  AITRUS WAS WALKING ACROSS THE OPEN SPACE between the main Guild House and the Great Library when Veovis stepped from a group of guildsmen and made to intercept him. It was more than a week since they had last met, in the inn beside the harbor.

  “Aitrus! Did you get my note?”

  Aitrus stopped. “Your note … Ah, yes. I have been busy.”

  Veovis smiled, putting out his hands to Aitrus who took them in a firm grip.

  “So what is she like?”

  “She seems … polite. Well mannered.”

  “Seems?”

  Aitrus found himself oddly defensive. “It’s my impression.”

  “Then you think she is genuine?”

  “Didn’t you? I thought you said as much?”

  Veovis smiled, defusing the situation. “That was my impression, I grant you. But then, I am not living with her—day in, day out. If there are any cracks in that mask of hers, you would see them, no?”

  “If there were.”

  “Oh, I am not saying that there are. It’s just …”

  “Just what?”

  “Just that we ought to be totally certain, don’t you think?”

  For some reason the idea of checking up on the girl offended Aitrus.

  “She seems … unsettled,” he said, after a moment, wanting to give Veovis something.

  “Unsettled? How?”

  “Maybe it is just the strangeness of everything here. It must be hard to adapt to D’ni after living under an open sky.”

  “Does she miss her home?”

  “I am not sure. To be honest, I have not asked her.”

  Veovis laughed. “What you really mean is that you have not spoken to her yet.”

  “As I said, I have been busy. Helping my father, mainly.”

  Veovis stared at Aitrus a moment, then reached out and held his arm. “You should take a break some time, Aitrus. And when you do, come and visit me, on K’veer. And bring the girl.”

  “That would be nice.”

  “Soon, then,” Veovis said, and without another word, he turned and walked away.

  Aitrus watched Veovis a moment—saw him return to the group he had left earlier, greeting them again, at ease among them—then smiled to himself as he walked away. To be honest, he had dreaded meeting Veovis again, knowing how Veovis felt about the “outsider.” He had thought, perhaps, that his friend would be angry that the girl was staying with his family, but his fears, it seemed, had been illusory.

  His smile broadened as he hastened his pace, knowing he was late now for his meeting.

  K’veer. It would be nice to take the girl to see K’veer.

  THE ROOM WAS A WORKROOM OR LAB OF SOME kind. Anna hesitated, looking behind her at the empty corridor, then slipped inside, pulling the door closed.

  You should not be in here, Anna, she told herself, yet that old familiar compulsion to explore was on her. Besides, she would not stay long, and she would not disturb anything.

  There was a long, stone-topped bench along the left-hand side of the room, a big low table in the middle, complete with sinks and gas taps. On the far wall a number of small shelves held all manner of jars and bottles. To the right of the room, in the far corner, was a desk and a chair, and on the wall above a set of shelves on which were many notebooks.

  She put her hand out, touching the cool, hard surface of the bench. It had been scrubbed clean and when she lifted her hand, she could smell a strange scent to it. What was that? Coal tar? Iodine?

  Slowly she walked about the room, picking things up then placing them back. Most of the equipment was familiar, yet there were one or two things that were strange to her. One in particular caught her attention. It was a small bronze jar with
eight lips, beneath each of which was a tiny bowl. A bronze ball sat on a tiny stand at the very center of the jar, balanced above all else.

  Anna crouched down, onto its level, staring at it for a time, then walked on, over to the far corner of the room.

  Only two things were on the surface of the desk; an elaborately decorated inkstand made of fine blue jade and, just beside the stand, a pair of glasses.

  Anna picked them up and studied them. The lenses were thick and seemed to be constructed of several very fine layers that acted as light filters of some kind. About each of the lenses was a tight band of expandable material which, in turn, was surrounded by a thick leather band, studded with tiny metal controls. She adjusted them, noting how they changed the opacity of the lenses, and smiled to herself. Then, on a whim, she tried them on. Strange. They were very tight. Airtight, probably, on the person for whom they were designed. And, wearing them, it became very dark.

  Again she adjusted the controls, varying the light.

  Taking them off, she set them down again, wondering what precisely they were used for. Mining? To protect the eyes against chips of rock? But if so, then why the varying opacity?

  Anna half-turned toward the door, listening for a moment, then, turning back to face the shelves, she reached up and took one of the journals down. Inside the pages were filled with strange writing, totally unlike any script she had ever seen before. Flicking through a few pages she stopped, staring in admiration at a diagram on the right-hand page. There were more farther on, all of them intricately drawn, the lines fine yet dark, the shading subtle. They spoke of a highly organized mind.

  She closed the journal and set it back in its place, then, with a final look about her, hurried from the room.

  It was no good. She would have to do something or she would die of boredom.

  Distracted, she almost bowled into Aitrus.

  “Come,” he said quietly. “We need to speak.”

  Anna followed him, surprised. He had barely said a word to her all week. She was even more surprised when he led her along the corridor and into the workroom she had been exploring.

  Did he know? Was that what this was about?

  Inside, Aitrus closed the door, then gestured for her to take the chair beside the desk. He seemed awkward.

  “Here,” he said, turning to reach up and take down one of the books that were on the topmost shelf. He offered it to her. “That is a history of D’ni. It is a child’s book, of course, but …”

  Aitrus stopped. She was staring at the pages blankly.

  “What is it?”

  She looked up at him, then, closing the book, handed it back to him. “I cannot read this.”

  “But I thought …” He shook his head, then, “You mean, you learned to speak D’ni, but not to read it?”

  Anna nodded.

  Aitrus stared at the book a moment, then set it down and turned, searching among the bottom shelves until he found something. It was a big, square-covered book with a dark amber leather cover. He pulled it out from among the other books; turning, he offered it to Anna.

  “Here. This is the key to all.”

  Anna took it, studying the beautifully tooled leather cover a moment before opening it. Inside, on heavy vellum pages, were set out columns of beautifully intricate figures—more like designs than letters.

  She looked up at him and smiled. “Is this what I think it is? Is this the D’ni lexicon?”

  “The Rehevkor,” he said, nodding.

  She looked back at the page, smiling sadly now. “But I do not know what they mean.”

  “Then I shall teach you,” Aitrus said, his pale eyes watching her seriously.

  “Are you sure that is allowed?”

  “No,” he answered, “but I will teach you anyway.”

  ANNA SAT AT THE PROW OF THE BOAT AS IT APPROACHED the island, Aitrus just behind her, standing, his right hand resting lightly on the rail.

  “So that is K’veer,” she said quietly. “I saw it once before, when they brought me from Irrat.”

  Aitrus nodded. “It has been their family home for many years.”

  “I remember thinking how strange it was. Like a great drill bit poking up from the bottom of the lake.”

  He smiled at that.

  “So who is this Veovis?”

  “He is the son of Lord Rakeri, Grand Master of the Guild of Miners.”

  “And he, too, is a Miner?”

  “No. Veovis is a Master of the Guild of Writers.”

  “You have a Guild of Writers? Are they important?”

  “Oh, very much so. Perhaps the most important of all our guilds.”

  “Writers?”

  He did not answer her.

  She looked back at him surprised. Slowly the island grew, dominating the view ahead of them.

  “Has Veovis many brothers and sisters?”

  “None. He is an only child.”

  “Then why so huge a mansion?”

  “Lord Rakeri often entertains guests. Or did before his illness.”

  Anna was quiet for a time as they drifted slowly toward the island. There was a small harbor directly ahead of them now, and beneath a long, stone jetty, a dark, rectangular opening.

  “Does your friend Veovis dislike me?”

  The question surprised Aitrus. “Why do you ask?”

  “I ask because he stared at me throughout the hearing.”

  “Is that so unusual? I stared.”

  “Yes, but not as he did. He seemed hostile toward me. And his questions …”

  “What of his questions?”

  She shrugged, then, “Did he ask you to bring me?”

  “He invited you specifically.”

  “I see.”

  Yet she seemed strangely distant, and Aitrus, watching her, wondered what was going on in her head. He wanted Veovis and her to be friends. It would be so easy if they were friends, but as it was he felt awkward.

  “Veovis can be outspoken sometimes.”

  “Outspoken?”

  “I thought I ought to warn you, that’s all. He can be a little blunt, even insensitive at times, but he is well meaning. You should not be afraid of him.”

  Anna gave a little laugh. “I am not afraid, Aitrus. Not of Veovis, anyway.”

  THEY SPENT HOURS, IT SEEMED. JUST GOING from room to room in the great mansion that was built into the rock of K’veer, Veovis delighting in showing Anna every nook and cranny.

  At first Anna had been wary, but as time went on she seemed to succumb to the young Lord’s natural charm, and Aitrus, looking on, found himself relaxing.

  As they climbed the final flight of steps that led onto the veranda at the top of the island, Aitrus found himself wondering how he could ever have worried about these two not getting along.

  “The stone seemed fused,” Anna was saying, as they came out through the low arch and into the open again. “It is almost as if it has been melted and then molded.”

  “That is precisely what has happened,” Veovis answered her with an unfeigned enthusiasm. “It is a special D’ni process, the secret of which is known only to the guilds concerned.”

  They stepped out, into the center of the veranda. There was a tiled roof overhead, but the view was open now on all four sides. All about them the lake stretched away, while in the distance they could see the great twisted rock of Ae’Gura and, to its right, the city.

  They were high up here, but the great walls of the cavern stretched up far above them, while overhead there were faint clouds, like feathered cirrus. Anna laughed.

  “What is it?” Veovis asked.

  “It’s just that I keep thinking I am outside. Oh, the light is very different, but … well, it’s just so big.”

  Veovis looked to Aitrus and smiled, then gestured toward a group of lounging chairs that rested at one end of the veranda.

  “Shall we sit here for a while? I can have the servants bring us something.”

  “That would be nice,” Anna said, look
ing to Aitrus and smiling.

  As Veovis went to arrange refreshments, Anna and Aitrus sat.

  “He’s very pleasant,” she said quietly. “I can understand why he is your friend.”

  “So you’ve forgiven him?”

  “Forgiven him?”

  “For scowling at you.”

  “Ah …” Anna laughed. “Long ago.”

  Aitrus smiled. “I’m glad, you know.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. I wanted you to be friends. It would have been hard otherwise.”

  Anna frowned. “I didn’t know.”

  “I …”

  He fell silent. Veovis had returned. The young Lord came across and, taking the chair between them, looked from one to another.

  His eyes settled on Anna. “Can I be honest with you, Ah-na?”

  Anna looked up. “Honest? In what way?”

  Veovis grinned. “We are alike, you and I. We are both straightforward people.” He looked pointedly at Aitrus. “Blunt, some call it. But let me say this. I was not disposed to like you. Indeed, I was prepared to actively dislike you. But I must speak as I find, and I find that I like you very much.”

  She gave the smallest little nod. “Why, thank you, Lord Veovis.”

  “Oh, do not thank me, Ah-na. I did not choose to like you. But like you I do. And so we can be friends. But I must make one or two things clear. I am D’ni. And I am jealous of all things D’ni. We are a great and proud people. Remember that, Ah-na. Remember that at all times.”

  Anna stared at him a moment, surprised by that strange and sudden coldness in him, then answered him.

  “And I, my Lord, am human, and proud of being so. Remember that,” she smiled pointedly, “at all times.”

  Veovis sat back, his eyes studying Anna thoughtfully. Then, more cheerfully than before, he smiled and slapped his knees. “Well … let us forget such somber stuff. Aitrus … how go the plans for the new cavern?”

  ON THE JOURNEY HOME ANNA WAS SILENT, locked in private thoughts. Aitrus, sitting across from her, felt more than ever how alien their worlds were. What, after all, did they really know about each other?