Ruins of Fate

by Jamie A. Waters

  Ruins of Fate © 2019 by Jamie A. Waters

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or events, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  * * *

  Cover Art by Deranged Doctor Designs

  Editor: Beyond DEF Lit

  * * *

  ISBN: 978-1-949524-02-4 (Paperback Edition)

  ISBN: 978-1-949524-03-1 (eBook Edition)

  * * *

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2019902597

  First Edition *April 2019

  Contents

  The Omni Towers Series

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Sneak Peek

  Beneath the Fallen City

  About the Author

  Back Cover

  One wrong decision, and the future will crumble…

  * * *

  Skye Levanthe traded everything she owned in order to secure a place for herself and her son, Veridian, in a scavenging camp.

  * * *

  But all contracts have an expiration date.

  * * *

  Desperate to obtain the resources they need to survive, Skye agreed to navigate the dangerous ruins of fallen cities to search for tradeable materials. When a strange storm forced Skye and her scavenging partner into forbidden territory controlled by the Omni Towers, a ruin collapsed, nearly taking their lives and destroying countless others.

  * * *

  Only one other person survived the ruin collapse: a mysterious young girl named Kayla.

  * * *

  Faced with the decision to save her son or abandon her new foster daughter to a terrible fate, Skye agreed to the only possible course of action—to go into exile and take on the Omni traders in their own den.

  * * *

  No one ever said survival would be easy.

  * * *

  And every choice has consequences.

  The Omni Towers Series

  Ruins of Fate

  Ruins of Fate

  Beneath the Fallen City

  Shadow of the Coalition

  Tremors of the Past

  Drop of Hope

  Flames of Redemption

  Spirit of the Towers

  Chapter One

  The wind howled, its eerie scream reminiscent of a death wail that could be heard through the tight fit of Skye’s helmet. Goose bumps pebbled her skin beneath the protective UV jacket she wore, but she pushed aside her misgivings. Instead, she reached for another handhold and continued to climb the steep roof’s edge.

  The gathering dark clouds seemed desperate to avoid the strange green light that cast itself over the sky above her. A lightning bolt streaked out with spiderweb-like tendrils, encouraging Skye to climb even faster, and distant thunder rumbled its warning a few seconds later. She felt the reverberations through her gloved hands as she gripped another handhold. It wasn’t too much farther, but she needed to hurry. The storm was moving quicker than they’d anticipated.

  She tried to push off her foothold, but her boot broke through the rotted support. Mentally swearing at her miscalculation, she gripped tightly to the edge she was holding and yanked her foot free. The clatter of debris falling downward was a reminder she needed to be more careful. This whole roof would collapse soon, and she’d rather not be on top of it when it did.

  Scanning the roof, Skye tried to look for dips which might indicate more rot. Attempting to avoid them, she used her feet and arms to propel herself toward the top of the sloping roof. Between the relentless wind and the dilapidated condition of the building, her odds were a little less than fair. If she managed to survive, she’d probably have an entertaining story to share with her camp later—she just had to make sure she lived long enough to tell it.

  A man’s voice came over her earpiece, “You okay, Skye? Do you need me to come out there and show you how it’s done?”

  Despite the precariousness of the situation, Skye grinned at the sound of her scavenging partner’s voice. Reaching for another handhold, she pulled herself up even higher. “Aw, Leo. You couldn’t catch me if you tried.”

  Chance guffawed. “She’s got you there. Besides, her ass looks better climbing up that roof than yours ever will.”

  “Can’t argue that,” Leo agreed.

  “I’m flattered,” she said, avoiding another area of the roof that was likely ready to collapse. “If I had known watching my ass was enough to get you both off yours, I would have handled the past few years differently.”

  Leo chuckled. “You’re almost to the top. See if you can get a sight on our communication equipment.”

  “So bossy,” she muttered but continued climbing. At the top of the ridgeline, Skye straddled the edge and looked toward the apex of the roof. The lookout was a rudimentary construct they’d designed months earlier to mount their communication equipment. Unfortunately, the condition of the building and their lack of resources made it fail more often than not.

  She sighed. “Well, shit. You want the good news or the bad news?”

  “Bad,” Leo said over her earpiece.

  “Looks like the antenna’s broken. I can’t tell if it’s repairable from here. I’m going to have to climb the whole way.”

  “And the good news?” Chance prompted.

  “You get to stare at my ass a bit longer.”

  Chance chuckled, and Skye carefully made her way toward the lookout. The only good thing was that the ridgeline was in a bit better shape than other less reinforced areas of the roof, but it made her more of a target for the elements.

  A gust of wind threatened to knock her off the roof, and she flattened herself, trying to make herself as small of a target as possible.

  So much for Chance and Leo’s view of my ass.

  Continuing to inch forward on her stomach, Skye let out a sigh of relief when she reached the edge of the lookout. The wall offered a bit of shelter from the impending storm, but she’d need to hurry before the skies opened up.

  The antenna had snapped almost completely in half, with only the barest attachment remaining. That explained their loss of communication to the outlying areas and their scavenging crews in the ruins. If they lost the full piece of metal, it wouldn’t be easy to replace—not to mention the danger to all their campmates if they couldn’t warn them about the approaching storm.

  Gripping the edge of the lookout with her gloved hands, Skye pulled herself up to the top. The wind was even worse up here, and the slightest miscalculation would send her tumbling to the ground. Reaching out, she tried to catch the antenna as it whipped through the air. Her fingers touched it, causing it to snap off the rest of the way.

  Dammit.

  On the plus side, they hadn’t lost the piece. But Daryl, their camp leader, was going to be less than pleased when he learned they needed to replace the entire thing. Doing her best to ignore the wind beating against her, Skye gripped the broken piece of metal and base of the antenna. Holding the two together, she began to wind some metallic-fusion tape around them. They didn’t have much tape left, and she needed to be careful not to waste any of their precious supply. No one knew when they’d be able to afford to buy more from one of the Omni trading camps.

  Through the static on her he
adset, she could barely make out the sound of Leo’s gravelly voice. “Hurry, Skye. The storm’s going to be here any minute. We’re already getting local interference.”

  “Patience, handsome. This girl likes to be finessed first,” she said, pulling out her knife and cutting off the end of the tape to seal the edges shut. It wasn’t much of a hold, but their options were limited. “Okay. Try reaching them now.”

  “Switching channels.”

  Skye waited, continuing to hold the antenna in place as she watched the ominous clouds moving overhead. Getting caught on the roof in an electrical storm was one of the last things she needed, but if they didn’t get communication reestablished with their crews scavenging in the ruins, more lives than just hers would be at risk.

  From her location perched on the roof, she could barely make out the Omni Towers in the distance. No matter how bad the storms became, they never seemed to affect the self-sustaining facility. While most of the world had been ravaged during the last war almost two centuries earlier, OmniLab had remained virtually untouched. She’d only seen the towers up close one time, the barest touch of a life so far removed from her own that it was nearly unfathomable.

  Thousands of people lived within the Omni Towers, but few would ever deign to step outside their walls. Like most ruin rats or surface-dwellers, she’d grown up hearing fanciful stories about OmniLab and life within the towers. But that’s all they were—stories. Few people knew the truth and the ones who did refused to talk. Those not born in the towers were never allowed to walk their halls.

  Lightning streaked across the sky again, followed almost immediately by a rumble of thunder. Skye continued to watch the dark clouds moving overhead as she tried to bury her unease and mentally willed Leo to hurry. The hazards of her current rooftop perch would become even worse once the rain started to fall.

  A strange chill went through her that had nothing to do with the temperature dropping. If the skies were any indication, this storm would be worse than any other in recent history. It was more than the storm though. It was as though the elements themselves were threatening to unleash their full fury upon the already battered world. Some primal part of her understood that something was coming, and this storm was just the beginning.

  Chance’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Well, now that I have you all to myself on this channel, let’s talk about how I can get you alone back at camp…”

  Skye grinned, not terribly upset by the distraction. Chance’s teasing banter was a welcome diversion. There was no real heat behind it, although she was sure he wouldn’t be opposed to spending some time together if she indicated her interest. But that wouldn’t ever happen.

  “Daryl’s gonna toss your ass over the side of the roof if you finish that thought on a public channel, Chance.”

  “Damn. He’s probably monitoring too,” Chance grumbled.

  “Yes, he is,” Daryl interrupted. “Get off this channel and stay off unless it’s important. You want to get laid? Do it on your own time.”

  Skye’s smile deepened, and she shook her head in exasperation. Their camp leader frequently seemed to be lacking a sense of humor. He knew his stuff though, which was part of the reason their camp was more successful than many other scavenging camps.

  Leo’s voice came over her headset again. “Dammit. No good. The storm’s interfering too much. Get off that roof, Skye. We’ll have to hope they find shelter and can wait until the storm passes.”

  She frowned and stared up at the sky. They all knew what could happen to their people if they didn’t get a message to them warning them to get to safety. Steeling herself, she pushed up from her crouched position on the roof and tried to brace herself against the angry wind. Skye held the antenna with both hands and shouted, “Not a chance, Leo. Try now.”

  She barely heard his curse before he was gone. The wind whipped around her wildly, threatening to toss her from the rooftop and shatter her body with its relentless force. She gritted her teeth, trying to keep her feet planted against the onslaught. Clutching the antenna tightly, she held it into the air like a weapon and challenged the heavens with her defiance.

  “Hurry, Leo,” she urged, unsure how long she could keep holding on. In a battle against the elements, she was no match against them. “Getting fried up here isn’t my idea of a good time.”

  The wind beat against her, and their makeshift antenna would snap completely if it picked up much more. If they didn’t warn their people about the approaching storm, a dozen people might become trapped within the ruins where they were scavenging.

  The buildings they were searching for tradable materials were already crumbling and in severe disrepair. Another storm like the one approaching could be enough to collapse a building on top of them—or worse. They’d lost another crew member when a support structure fell on him during a storm several months ago. They couldn’t afford to lose anyone else.

  Another gust of wind kicked up, throwing her off balance. The antenna whipped out of her hand and she fell backward, tumbling off the edge of the lookout and onto the roof. A scream ripped out of her throat. Skye scrambled, grabbing at anything to stop her rapid descent as she slid down the roof and toward the ground.

  Her fingers brushed against an exposed metal beam, and she bit back a curse as the jagged edge cut through her gloves and into the meat of her hands. Grabbing it, she struggled against the pain to hold on. The roof underneath her boots gave way and fell inward. She gripped the beam tightly, trying desperately to pull herself back up.

  “Skye!” Leo shouted over her headset.

  Reaching out with her other hand, Skye tried to find purchase on the roof. Her feet flailed, but there was nothing beneath her. Between her angle and the slope of the roof, it was impossible to pull herself back up.

  “I can’t hold on, Leo,” she managed, trying to suppress the panic rising inside her. She couldn’t die. Not like this.

  “Baby, I’m almost there,” he urged. “I see you. Just a few more seconds.”

  She looked up, watching as Leo slid down the side of the roof. He shouldn’t have come after her, but it didn’t stop her relief at seeing him. He was too heavy for the roof, but at least he had one of the temporary harnesses they used for scavenging. It would hopefully keep him from falling like she had.

  Her hand was starting to go numb from the metal cutting into it, but she fought to hold on. Leo’s foot broke through the roof, but he managed to catch himself and continued inching toward her.

  Leo laid down on the roof, spreading out his body weight. Grabbing her jacket, he hauled her up enough so she could pull herself up the rest of the way. Another gust of wind threatened to knock them over again. Skye flattened herself, trying to make herself less of a target for the storm.

  “Dammit. I think I ruined my gloves.”

  “To hell with your gloves!” Leo shouted over the headset. “The whole roof is starting to collapse. This building won’t make it through the storm. We’ve got to move. Can you climb with that hand?”

  “I don’t have much of a choice,” she said, determined to avoid looking at her hand. Right now, the adrenaline was numbing the pain, but she knew if she saw the damage, her brain would suddenly release how much it hurt. The mind was tricky like that.

  Leo started to unhook the cable around his waist. “Chance, get ready to pull her up.”

  Her gaze flew to Leo’s. “No! Chance, hold.”

  “What the fuck am I doing up here?” Chance snapped. “Make a decision now. That cable won’t support both of you, and we’ve already lost the northeast quadrant of the roof.”

  “I’m more graceful than you, Leo, even if I’m hurt,” Skye argued, unwilling to voice her true fears. She couldn’t allow him to sacrifice himself for her. “I’ll race you back to the ladder.”

  Leo cursed and reattached the cable around his waist. He pulled her close, clutching her tightly, and said, “You’re a fucking lousy liar. Go ahead and climb, but I’m not leaving your side.”
<
br />   Skye nodded. Leo was always as good as his word. It was one of the reasons she trusted him implicitly as her scavenging partner. Getting into a crawling position, she tested the roof for weakness before she crept forward. It was an agonizingly slow progress, but every second took them closer to safety.

  They’d installed a ladder on the side of the building to access their antenna and communication equipment. It was the tallest building in the area, and it gave them the best range to keep in contact with their campmates scavenging in the ruins. Now that this building was falling, they’d need to find another location to mount their equipment. But those worries would need to come later, relocating the equipment would be someone else’s problem if she didn’t survive the next few hours.

  Another peal of thunder caused the building to shake, and the skies opened up a moment later. Rain beat down on them, making the surface even more treacherous. Skye’s foot slipped, but Leo caught her before she could fall again. She tried to push herself back up to a crawl position, but her hand wouldn’t support her weight. Dammit. The numbing effects of the adrenaline was starting to wear off.

  Through her headset, Leo said, “Move your ass, Skye. We need to get off this roof.”

  “Everyone’s obsessed with my ass today,” she muttered, using her elbows to crawl the rest of the way.

  Chance waited at the top of the ladder with the cabling device. A small ledge had been mounted off the side of the roof, and it was already swaying from the combination of their weight and the storm.