The Omni Towers Series (Books 4-6)
Drop of Hope © 2018 by Jamie A. Waters
Flames of Redemption © 2018 by Jamie A. Waters
Spirit of the Towers © 2018 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
Contents
The Omni Towers Series
Drop of Hope
Back Cover
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Flames of Redemption
Back Cover
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Spirit of the Towers
Back Cover
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
About the Author
The Omni Towers Series
Books 4-6
Drop of Hope
Flames of Redemption
Spirit of the Towers
Drop of Hope
The Omni Towers Series, Book 4
Dangerous secrets can lurk under the water's surface…
Ariana Alivette has lived a life of perceived luxury in the elusive Omni Towers. While most of the remaining survivors around the world are struggling to survive, Ariana has been locked away to protect a dangerous secret. But even the walls of a gilded cage can't last forever.
When Ariana makes the decision to reveal her secret to save a life, she suddenly finds herself targeted by those determined to use her for their own ambitions. Ariana must quickly learn the rules of this new world and do whatever is necessary to master her fate because one wrong decision means losing her life—and her heart.
Prologue
Ariana ran toward the priority elevators and plugged in her earpiece. She could hear the child's screams in the background. “Paul, talk to me. How bad is her condition?”
“It's worse than we expected. We're trying to stabilize her now,” Paul explained, the worry in his voice indicative of the precariousness of the situation. “The transport team is working on her, but we've got burns covering about thirty percent of her body. Are you in your quarters?”
“I just left. I can meet you in the training room.”
“No, it'll take too long,” Paul argued, pausing for a moment to issue some instructions to someone. “Can you head directly to the medical ward? We'll have to meet you there. I've sent instructions to have a clean room ready.”
Ariana swallowed, praying to whatever gods might be listening they wouldn't take an innocent life far too soon.
“I'll be there in a few minutes,” she informed him and disconnected from the commlink call.
“Ari?”
Ariana glanced down the corridor to find Alec hastening toward her, but she couldn't stop while a child's life was in jeopardy. Pressing a button on the elevator, she said, “I'm sorry, Alec. I can't talk right now. I have to hurry.”
His blue eyes were marked with concern. “What is it? What's wrong?”
“It's Mira,” Ariana managed, pressing the button again and willing the elevator to arrive faster. She needed a blasted override code for these situations. Realizing who stood beside her, she grabbed his arm. Alec wasn't just a friend, he was also one of the High Council leaders.
“Alec, I need you to override the elevators. Mira's being transported to the medical ward right now. She was in an accident in the training room and burns are covering most of her body. I need to meet the medical team right away.”
Alec paled and quickly entered in his code. “I'll go with you. She's the promising young fire channeler from the Gavron family, right?”
Ariana nodded as the doors opened. While Alec entered his code again to bypass all other floors, she said, “Yes. She's only eleven. I'm not sure what happened or why there wasn't a water channeler monitoring the situation, but I could hear her screaming over my commlink.”
Ariana squeezed her eyes shut at the rush of emotion that went through her. She'd met Mira only a handful of times and was reminded of a bright, pixielike child with an insatiable curiosity and passion for life. The thought of not being able to prevent that precious light from extinguishing was more than she could bear.
The elevator shot downward, and she gripped the handrail tightly, worry for the young girl nearly overwhelming her. Desperate for a distraction, she opened her eyes to find Alec watching her. The depth of unspoken emotion and concern in his eyes spoke volumes about how much he cared for a little girl he barely knew. It made her respect and admire him even more. He'd always cared so much but rarely let anyone see his true feelings.
He had always fascinated her curious nature and made her want to learn more about him. She’d had a hard time keeping her distance from the moment she'd met him. Everything had changed since then, though, and she needed to remember some things happened for reason.
“I'm sorry for brushing you off,” she murmured, casting her gaze downward and not wanting to reveal too much of her feelings. “Did you need me for something?”
“Don't ever apologize for something like that, Ari,” he said, reaching over to touch her hand. A gentle caress of comforting air energy washed over her, stirring her energy to the surface. “You're trying to save a life. What I wanted to talk to you about can wait.”
She bit her lip, lifting her gaze to stare at the descending numbers on the panel. The elevator wasn't moving fast enough. “Please distract me, Alec. Otherwise, I'm just going to worry about things I can't control. Once I'm in the medical ward, everything will change and I can focus on what needs to be done.”
Alec searched her expression for a long moment, indecision clearly warring on his face. He rubbed the back of his neck. “I… I was hoping you might consider talking to Kayla again about training.”
Ariana blinked up at him, surprised by the request. She had the feeling that wasn't what he intended to ask, but she wouldn't intrude by prying. Besides, her energy needed to be reserved for the little girl who desperately needed her help. “I thought Kayla had been training over the past
few months. She hasn't?”
Alec hesitated. “Somewhat, but she's been distracted with the construction and river excavation. I know she respects you, especially after you healed her former camp leader. She's been working with me and her mother on her air and earth talents, but she needs to make training more of a priority. If you mention it to her again, I'm sure she'll listen to you.”
The elevator doors opened, and they stepped out into the medical ward. It was too quiet on the floor, and the surrounding energy threads were moderately stabilized, so Mira must not have arrived yet. Turning back to Alec, she nodded. “Of course, I'll be happy to speak with her.”
“I'd appreciate it.” Alec paused, studying her for a long moment. As his eyes roamed over her face, her stomach did a neat little somersault at the intensity in his gaze. He took a step toward her. “Ari, I know this isn't the best time, but I was wondering if you'd be willing to have dinn—”
Voices and commotion exploded from the far side of the corridor as the medical team emerged from the service elevator with a stretcher. Even over the noise, she could hear the soft whimpers of a child in pain.
“I'm sorry, Alec, I have to go,” Ariana called over her shoulder, running down the hall and toward the little girl who desperately needed her. She only hoped her healing gifts would be enough this time.
Chapter One
Ariana ducked beneath the low-hanging beam and stepped into chaos. The heavy din of construction competed against a myriad of voices shouting to be overheard. She took a few steps forward, her soft, gray slippers leaving a trail of footprints in the construction dust. Someone bumped into a crate and it crashed to the ground, the noise not even beginning to mask the reverberations of the pounding and thudding that echoed throughout the building. It was a maelstrom of confusion, and Ariana was very much out of her element. She loved every minute of it.
A group of workers almost plowed into her, distracted by the heavy crates they carried.
“Watch it,” someone snapped in her direction.
Ariana gasped and jumped backward, squeezing between a few stacked boxes so the workers could pass. She managed to voice an apology, but they were already halfway down the corridor before the words escaped her. They disappeared to whereabouts unknown. It was tempting to try to follow them to see where they were headed, but she doubted they'd be interested in trying to assuage her insatiable curiosity.
This time, Ariana was cautious before stepping out into the busy workroom. She had to remember to pay attention to her surroundings because a different set of rules applied here. The change was more than a little refreshing. Over the years, it had become commonplace for people to cater to her needs. Those workers weren't concerned with who she was or which tower she'd been born into. She'd been in their way, and they'd yelled at her.
She grinned at the thought and brushed the construction dirt off herself, hesitating as she caught a glimpse of her dusty dress. The casual dress she'd chosen that morning, with its soft grays and whites, was acceptable to wear within the Inner Sanctum of OmniLab's towers but clearly marked her as an outsider here. If she managed to get another opportunity to return, she'd have to try to blend in more. Maybe she could try finding someone to make her more functional clothing.
Ariana walked through the workroom area, avoiding the workers and observing their utilitarian-style dress. Even more impressive than their practical clothing was their streamlined efficiency. They somehow managed to all have a purpose, and no one was tripping over anyone else. It was like a carefully orchestrated dance, with the symphony of tools in the background playing as an accompaniment. A group of people argued loudly in one corner of the room, pointing to a design diagram and then upward at the structural members overhead. In the center of the cluster was the petite woman Ariana had been seeking.
Kayla stood with her hands on her hips, her green eyes flashing with anger as she argued with a tall, thin man wearing what looked like a permanent frown. “No, Leo, I don't care if you're the foreman. Get your head out of your ass and learn how to read the damn blueprint. The east area of this level is designated for the entire community. The offices go on the west side.”
The annoyed man pulled off his helmet, the temporary lights reflecting off his balding head. His face had turned an angry, mottled red. “Dammit, girl, I know how to read a damn blueprint. I've been reading blueprints since before you were born. I'm telling you your plan is shit. What the hell are you thinking trying to put fucking Omni offices in the same space with the ruin rats? We'll kill each other. It'll be a fucking bloodbath. Omnis will be stringing up ruin rats by the rafters and we'll have a mutiny on our hands. It'll be slaughter. Fucking slaughter. They need to stay in their own damn tower.”
Kayla scowled, tapping her foot impatiently as though waiting for him to take a breath. She caught sight of Ariana and paused, a wide smile spreading across her face in greeting. She held up a finger asking her to wait a minute and turned back to the foreman.
“It's not for the Omnis, Leo,” Kayla snapped at him. “It's for the Coalition and ruin rat camp leaders, and one of those offices is yours. Now figure out how to build it and quit bitching at me.”
As the man sputtered in shock at the announcement, Kayla trotted over to Ariana. “There. That should keep him busy for a while.”
Ariana glanced over Leo, who had been Kayla's former camp leader. He'd swiftly regained his composure and was now almost giddy in his excitement as he began dictating orders to the other men. Ariana ducked her head and smiled. “I think you made him very happy.”
Kayla shrugged, but her eyes shone with humor. “I've been dying to spring that on him all day. Come on, let's get out of here. It's too noisy.” She linked her arm with Ariana and led her into one of the more finished rooms.
Ariana glanced around, once again surprised by how much they had accomplished in such a short period of time. It had only been three months since they started on the construction of the new tower. She'd heard rumors about delays, but based on what she was seeing, it was difficult to tell.
Ariana moved over to stand beside the desk where more images and diagrams of building plans were scattered. She looked down at them, trying to imagine how everything would appear once it was completed. According to the agreement between OmniLab and the Coalition, they only had a year to finish the construction. She didn't know how such a feat would be possible, but she was hardly an expert.
“I'm glad you could make it.” Kayla reached into a small cooling unit and pulled out a couple of hydrating packs. “I didn't think you'd be able to get away from Jason or the Inner Sanctum. I can give you a partial tour, but we'll need to get you some UV gear to tour some of the open areas.”
Grateful for the offering, Ariana accepted it and took a drink, trying to decide how to begin. She absently threaded the water energy from the hydrating pack into the carefully crafted metaphysical barrier around her, which was designed to protect against any outward stressors. Unfortunately, being in close proximity to so many people could be draining. The water was a welcome insulator.
Ariana considered Kayla for a long moment. Even though they were close in age and shared the same origins, their lives had been vastly different. Kayla was unlike anyone she'd ever known and much worldlier. Over the past few months, she had gotten to know Kayla better, and it had become apparent how much Ariana had been missing in her sheltered existence.
When dealing with Kayla, Ariana had found frank honesty was usually the best approach. Kayla didn't have much patience for anything else. It was rather refreshing compared to all the innuendo and double-talk within the Inner Circle.
“I didn't exactly get away,” Ariana admitted, not wanting to think about how annoyed her brother would be when he discovered where she was. “I ran into Alec a few days ago on my way to help Mira, and he asked me to speak with you. Since you're over here quite a bit, I decided it would be a good opportunity to check out the construction tower.”
Kayla raised an eyebrow, fin
ished off her drink, and tossed the empty container into a recycler. “Mira's the little girl who got burned, right?”
Ariana nodded. “Yes, she's doing much better now. We were able to repair the damaged nerves and tissue, and it doesn't look like she'll have any scarring. It's a terrible lesson to learn, but I don't think she'll set any more fires without proper supervision. Her trainers will also be paying much closer attention now.”
Kayla cocked her head. “This sort of thing happens a lot?”
“It's not usually this bad,” Ariana admitted, remembering some of the other injuries she'd help treat in the past. “Most injuries are usually minor, and they typically happen outside the training facilities when our children aren't being supervised by their instructors. It helps reinforce our need to make sure all our people are properly trained.”
Kayla wrinkled her nose. “Let me guess… the reason you're here is because Alec wanted you to give me a hard time about training?”
The Omni Towers Boxed Set (Books 4-6): A Dystopian Fantasy Series Page 1
