Chapter 1
It had been a while since Catherine had left the island. In that time, Atrus had sent one of the visitors to save her from Gehn- an event that convinced her to return to Myst. Their third child, Yeesha, was just learning to read and write, though it would be some time yet before she could create Ages of her own.
The couple were now working on a new game together, for their increasing numbers of visitors to play.
"How about... the player has to save you, Atrus?"
"No... they've already saved one of us. And besides, I'm the one who tells them what to do at the start, I can't be captured. Hmm... what if they were to foil a conspiracy against our family?"
"Been done. Anyway, we can't expect them to be too clever. Half of them were stuck in the fireplace for hours before they thought of reading the books, do you remember?"
At that moment, the door burst open and a figure ran into the library. Atrus grabbed his father's poison dart gun.
"Don't shoot!" it yelped. As it came into the light, they could see it was a girl in her early teens. She was obviously from another world- they couldn't quite tell which one. Still holding the dart gun, Atrus began to ask her some questions.
"Who are you?"
"Lucy. I'm a fan of your games, by the way, I've played them all."
Atrus lowered the dart gun. "Shorah."
"Shorah behshehmtee," she answered, to Atrus's surprise. "I learnt a little D'ni from the Internet. I knew it would be useful one day."
Catherine hadn't seen many people from other worlds, and wanted to know more about this one. "What are those red markings on your face?"
The girl laughed. "Spots- we all get them during adolescence."
"You mean they disappear when you grow older?"
"Erm, yes. Why do you ask?"
"Fascinating! What are those long, loose socks you are wearing with the feet cut off? Why are they joined together at the top?"
"Catherine, I'm sure she is not here for you to ask her about her world. Or her alien clothing fashions." He turned to Lucy. "Come to the drawing room. We can talk further there."
The drawing room seemed out of place- it was nothing like the rest of the library, which had been designed to look ethereal and haunting. This room was comforting and much lighter; there were large windows with long, elaborately-patterened curtains tied back with tassels; there were three chintz sofas in a half-circle around the old marble fireplace. Before the fireplace stood a wooden coffee table, on which had been placed a round tray bearing a teapot, a jug of creamy milk, and a plate of biscuits.
Atrus motioned for Lucy to sit down.
"Tea?" he offered.
"Volah, g'chehv a'shehm," she replied. Atrus smiled and headed back to the library.
"It's all right, the other visitors taught us some of your language," Catherine assured Lucy as Atrus returned with three cups. He began to pour the dark, viscous D'ni tea into them.
"Milk?"
"Please." The runnier milk trickled into the cups, and Atrus stirred each of them. The tea appeared to be floating on the milk now, looking for all the world like a mud pie. He handed a cup to each of them, and started to drink his own.
"It's so difficult to make proper D'ni tea these days," Catherine commented. "Since D'ni is so far underground, the water boils at a phenomenal temperature- up here on the surface, it never seems to taste quite as good."
Despite that, it still tasted more pleasant than it looked, Lucy decided. It tasted strongly of liquorice, and it prickled her tongue like a very hot spice.
"So, Illuci- what brings you to Myst island?" Atrus inquired.
Catherine cringed. Atrus always pronounced foreign names incorrectly. But Lucy didn't seem to mind.
"Something unusual happened to me, Atrus. I was writing my diary again, and I wrote all about yesterday's events in my home world, Earth. And I'm not sure what went wrong, exactly- but when I turned to the front page, there was a picture- a Linking panel.
Taking the risk, I entered, only to find myself back in my room again. I have accidentally written a Linking Book to Earth!"
Atrus choked on his tea. This was impossible! So far, the visitors had only managed to return to their home world by way of a portal, which had been cleverly written by Catherine to resemble a game's ending. But if Illuci had managed to make a Linking Book... that would mean she was D'ni!
"Lucy, are you sure it is indeed a Linking Book?" Catherine asked sceptically.
"You tell me," she replied, producing a small book from her pocket.
It looked nothing like a Linking Book. Most Linking Books were great, leather-bound tomes filled with yellowing, dusty pages. This was covered with a tough, woven fabric, which they later learned was called denim, and the edges of the cover were lined with a fake, pink fur. It had the words "Funky Princess" printed in the centre in curly, pink writing. Atrus and Catherine stared at it, before opening it to the middle. Inside was a simple diary, although much more descriptive than most, even more so than Atrus's. It talked about when she went shopping with her friends, the boys she had crushes on at the time, how things were at school.
But at the front was indeed, a Linking panel. Lucy had glued a piece of pink fur over it so anyone who happened to read the journal wouldn't see it. The fur was flapping about a little, sometimes flapping into the panel and out again.
"I can't quite see the panel for the fur," Atrus murmured.
He reached to pull the fur aside, and his hand brushed against the panel. Before he could jerk his hand away, he was falling into the book.
It had been a while since Catherine had left the island. In that time, Atrus had sent one of the visitors to save her from Gehn- an event that convinced her to return to Myst. Their third child, Yeesha, was just learning to read and write, though it would be some time yet before she could create Ages of her own.
The couple were now working on a new game together, for their increasing numbers of visitors to play.
"How about... the player has to save you, Atrus?"
"No... they've already saved one of us. And besides, I'm the one who tells them what to do at the start, I can't be captured. Hmm... what if they were to foil a conspiracy against our family?"
"Been done. Anyway, we can't expect them to be too clever. Half of them were stuck in the fireplace for hours before they thought of reading the books, do you remember?"
At that moment, the door burst open and a figure ran into the library. Atrus grabbed his father's poison dart gun.
"Don't shoot!" it yelped. As it came into the light, they could see it was a girl in her early teens. She was obviously from another world- they couldn't quite tell which one. Still holding the dart gun, Atrus began to ask her some questions.
"Who are you?"
"Lucy. I'm a fan of your games, by the way, I've played them all."
Atrus lowered the dart gun. "Shorah."
"Shorah behshehmtee," she answered, to Atrus's surprise. "I learnt a little D'ni from the Internet. I knew it would be useful one day."
Catherine hadn't seen many people from other worlds, and wanted to know more about this one. "What are those red markings on your face?"
The girl laughed. "Spots- we all get them during adolescence."
"You mean they disappear when you grow older?"
"Erm, yes. Why do you ask?"
"Fascinating! What are those long, loose socks you are wearing with the feet cut off? Why are they joined together at the top?"
"Catherine, I'm sure she is not here for you to ask her about her world. Or her alien clothing fashions." He turned to Lucy. "Come to the drawing room. We can talk further there."
The drawing room seemed out of place- it was nothing like the rest of the library, which had been designed to look ethereal and haunting. This room was comforting and much lighter; there were large windows with long, elaborately-patterened curtains tied back with tassels; there were three chintz sofas in a half-circle around the old marble fireplace. Before the fireplace stood a wooden coffee table, on which had been placed a round tray bearing a teapot, a jug of creamy milk, and a plate of biscuits.
Atrus motioned for Lucy to sit down.
"Tea?" he offered.
"Volah, g'chehv a'shehm," she replied. Atrus smiled and headed back to the library.
"It's all right, the other visitors taught us some of your language," Catherine assured Lucy as Atrus returned with three cups. He began to pour the dark, viscous D'ni tea into them.
"Milk?"
"Please." The runnier milk trickled into the cups, and Atrus stirred each of them. The tea appeared to be floating on the milk now, looking for all the world like a mud pie. He handed a cup to each of them, and started to drink his own.
"It's so difficult to make proper D'ni tea these days," Catherine commented. "Since D'ni is so far underground, the water boils at a phenomenal temperature- up here on the surface, it never seems to taste quite as good."
Despite that, it still tasted more pleasant than it looked, Lucy decided. It tasted strongly of liquorice, and it prickled her tongue like a very hot spice.
"So, Illuci- what brings you to Myst island?" Atrus inquired.
Catherine cringed. Atrus always pronounced foreign names incorrectly. But Lucy didn't seem to mind.
"Something unusual happened to me, Atrus. I was writing my diary again, and I wrote all about yesterday's events in my home world, Earth. And I'm not sure what went wrong, exactly- but when I turned to the front page, there was a picture- a Linking panel.
Taking the risk, I entered, only to find myself back in my room again. I have accidentally written a Linking Book to Earth!"
Atrus choked on his tea. This was impossible! So far, the visitors had only managed to return to their home world by way of a portal, which had been cleverly written by Catherine to resemble a game's ending. But if Illuci had managed to make a Linking Book... that would mean she was D'ni!
"Lucy, are you sure it is indeed a Linking Book?" Catherine asked sceptically.
"You tell me," she replied, producing a small book from her pocket.
It looked nothing like a Linking Book. Most Linking Books were great, leather-bound tomes filled with yellowing, dusty pages. This was covered with a tough, woven fabric, which they later learned was called denim, and the edges of the cover were lined with a fake, pink fur. It had the words "Funky Princess" printed in the centre in curly, pink writing. Atrus and Catherine stared at it, before opening it to the middle. Inside was a simple diary, although much more descriptive than most, even more so than Atrus's. It talked about when she went shopping with her friends, the boys she had crushes on at the time, how things were at school.
But at the front was indeed, a Linking panel. Lucy had glued a piece of pink fur over it so anyone who happened to read the journal wouldn't see it. The fur was flapping about a little, sometimes flapping into the panel and out again.
"I can't quite see the panel for the fur," Atrus murmured.
He reached to pull the fur aside, and his hand brushed against the panel. Before he could jerk his hand away, he was falling into the book.