"Myst - 02 - The Book Of Ti'ana" - читать интересную книгу автора (Miller Rand)

Myst: The Book of Ti'ana

by Rand Miller & David Wingrove



PART ONE
ECHOES IN THE ROCK

The sounding capsule was embedded in the rock face like a giant crystal, its
occupants sealed within the translucent, soundproofed cone.

The Guild Master sat facing the outstretched tip of the cone, his right hand
resting delicately on the long metal shaft of the sounder, his blind eyes
staring at the solid rock, listening.

Behind him, his two young assistants leaned forward in their narrow metal and
mesh seats, concentrating, their eyes shut tight as they attempted to discern
the tiny variations in the returning signal.

"Na'grenis," the old man said, the D'ni word almost growled as his left hand
moved across the top sheet of the many-layered map that rested on the map table
between his knees. Brittle.

It was the tenth time they had sent the signal out on this line, each time a
little stronger, the echoes in the rock changing subtly as it penetrated deeper
into the mass.

"Kenen voohee shuhteejoo," the younger of his two assistants said tentatively.
It could be rocksalt.

"Or chalk," the other added uncertainly.

"Not this deep," the old man said authoritatively, flicking back the transparent
sheets until he came to one deep in the pile. Holding it open, he reached beside
him and took a bright red marker from the metal rack.

"Ah," the two assistants said as one, the carmine mark as clear an explanation
as if he'd spoken.

"We'll sound either side," the old man said after a moment. "It might only be a
pocket...."

He slipped the marker back into the rack, then reached out and took the ornately
decorated shaft of the sounder, delicately moving it a fraction to the right,
long experience shaping his every movement.

"Same strength," he said. "One pulse, fifty beats, and then a second pulse."

At once his First Assistant leaned forward, adjusting the setting on the dial in