Beneath the Fallen City, Jamie A. Waters [ebook reader .TXT] 📗
- Author: Jamie A. Waters
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She glanced toward the closed door, thinking of the pompous Omni running around Carl’s camp. “Wait, Alec runs the High Council now?”
“No, his father does,” Carl said with a chuckle. “Alec is part of the Inner Circle though. It’s just a matter of time before he’s on the High Council. Your existence is going to upset the balance, but in a good way, I think. If you decide to visit the towers, you would definitely cause a stir.”
Kayla pulled away from him, still feeling defensive. She wasn’t ready to agree to anything. “You’re assuming I want to go there.”
“No, I’m not. I’m just speculating.” He took another step toward her and brushed his lips against her forehead. “Kayla, your life is your own. You just have more options now than you did yesterday.”
She considered his words and what Veridian had said. “Do you know my mother?”
Carl shook his head. “Not really. I’ve seen images of her, but I’ve only met her once. I didn’t realize it, but you look a bit like her. She has dark hair like yours, and she’s petite. I don’t remember much else, except that she’s quite beautiful.”
When Kayla didn’t respond, Carl continued, “She stays out of politics for the most part. I’ve heard she was much more involved with the towers before the ruin collapse. Since losing you and your father, she’s kept to herself.”
Kayla bit her lip, indecision weighing heavily upon her.
“Are you thinking about meeting her?”
She lifted a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe. V seems to think I should. I don’t have any memories of her though. I always thought my mother had been killed. Now I find out that wasn’t true, and there’s this woman who exists that I know nothing about.”
“You could always try visiting the towers for a few days,” he encouraged. “You could meet her and see if anything there resonates with you. If not, you can always leave and come back here or go to Leo’s camp.”
Kayla looked away, her gaze landing on the small table next to the bed where she’d placed the image viewer the night before. Just like Veridian, family had been important to Pretz too. Maybe they were right. If she didn’t take this opportunity, she’d always wonder. “You think they’d let me bring V? He’s always been curious about the towers.”
A thoughtful look crossed Carl’s face, and he shrugged. “I’ve never heard of a ruin rat being allowed entry into the towers, but he’s part of a trader’s crew now. I’ve taken Cruncher with me to the towers to collect supplies. Not only that, but Master Tal’Vayr seems eager for you to visit. I’m sure he’d be willing to make some rather large concessions for you.”
“What about you? You’re from the towers. Would you go too?”
“That’s a little different,” he said with a frown. “I’ve been assigned to stay here until I’m recalled or my contract expires. I’ll need to head to the towers in a few days when the High Council replaces Ramiro. As part of my trading agreement with OmniLab, I’m supposed to meet with the other traders to establish guidelines for working with the new one. If you want to go on ahead with Master Tal’Vayr, I could bring you and Veridian back in a few days.”
It was a reasonable suggestion, and she was hard-pressed to find a flaw in it, but she couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding at the idea of going to the towers. “Something about Alec bothers me,” Kayla admitted. “I don’t like the way he looks at me.”
Carl chuckled. “He looks at you the same way most men do. You’re the most beautiful, talented, and passionate woman I’ve ever met, Kayla.”
She looked up at him, her stomach fluttering as he gazed down at her. The man was dangerous. She couldn’t seem to keep her hands off him and, in return, his touch made all her concerns seem insignificant. Kayla reached up to kiss him again.
“He’s kinda pretty, in a strange sort of way,” she told him with a teasing smile. “But he doesn’t make me feel the same way you do.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Carl laughed, then whispered huskily in her ear, “I hope you’ll keep giving me the opportunity to make you feel that way.”
Kayla shivered. Both the promise in his words and his warm breath against her skin created delicious tingles through her body. Oh, she could definitely keep giving him opportunities.
He pulled back a fraction, his expression becoming thoughtful. “So do you think you’ll go? This would give you something to do while you’re healing and not able to go into the ruins. Ramiro can’t touch you in the towers. Besides, think of all the technology you could get your hands on.”
Her eyes widened as she considered his words. Holy smokes! She’d never even considered the possibilities. “You’re right. I wonder if they’d let me see some of their prototypes?”
“I imagine they would,” he admitted with a trace of a smile. “Your name holds far more weight than you realize.”
Kayla cocked her head. “When do you think you’ll be coming to the towers?”
“I suspect things will happen fairly quickly with Ramiro now. My best guess would be two or three days at the most. They can’t leave Ramiro’s camp without a trader for long.”
She could handle that. “All right. I’ll take Veridian and go check out these towers.” She paused for a moment, glanced at the door, and frowned. “I guess I should go tell Alec he can dislodge the stick from him ass and that I’ll go.”
Carl laughed. “Having you in the towers is definitely going to liven things up. I wish I could be there to see it.”
Kayla dismounted from her bike and stared up at the huge towers. The buildings were larger than she’d thought. Curious, she touched the wall with a gloved hand. It was somewhat reassuring to know it was just a regular building.
Veridian put his hand on her arm to get her attention. “You okay?”
Feeling sheepish, she pulled her hand away from the wall and nodded. Veridian gave her a reassuring smile. Taking a deep breath, she put aside her reservations and followed Master Tal’Vayr and Director Borshin into the entrance area. When the door sealed behind Veridian, she pulled off her protective gear and helmet.
A young man tentatively approached her. He bowed and reached out to take her belongings. At Kayla’s hesitation, Alec motioned for her to hand them to the man. Puzzled, she watched as the man hung them on a nearby rack.
“I could have done that.”
“M-my apologies if I have offended, M-mistress Rath’Varein,” the young man stammered. He seemed troubled at the possibility he had displeased her.
“What the hell?” Kayla jerked back, alarmed by both his actions and the use of the unfamiliar title. She looked at Alec, determined to put a stop to it. “Oh no, you tell him to cut that out. I’m Kayla. Just Kayla. You start calling me something else and I’m out of here.” She crossed her arms and muttered under her breath, “And I can hang up my own shit.”
Alec’s lips twitched as though he were suppressing a smile, and he handed over his equipment. “It’s fine, Melvin. You may call her Kayla, if that’s her preference.”
Melvin looked puzzled but nodded in agreement. He reached out to take Director Borshin’s and Veridian’s belongings.
Kayla looked around the large, open room. The floor tiles sparkled and shone, and the walls were a brilliant white. A desk sat in the center of the room with flowering, green plants on both sides of it providing a splash of color in an otherwise sterile environment. A woman stood behind the desk, gaping at Kayla. When Kayla returned her look, the girl immediately looked away and pretended to be engrossed with the screen on her desk.
Kayla leaned toward Alec and whispered, “Is everyone going to stare at me?”
He smiled at her. “Probably at first. You’ve been dead for sixteen years.”
“Great,” she muttered, following him into the next room.
Sunlight filtered through the main common area of the towers. An enormous waterfall cascaded down into a pool at the ground level surrounded by lush plants and greenery. Kayla’s eyes widened in disbelief; she’d stepped through to another world.
She reached out to touch one of the plants, entranced by the smooth texture of the leaf. Alec’s observation of her tactile exploration made her flush in embarrassment and she dropped her hand. He seemed pleased by her reaction, though, and held out his hand to her. “This is the main entrance area. We’ll be traveling up the elevators toward the quarters of the Inner Circle. You’ll probably want to spend most of your time there.”
Kayla hesitated before taking his hand. “Are you going to zap me again?”
Alec shook his head. “I will not attempt to influence you in any way, Kayla. You have my word.”
“All right.” She tentatively slipped her hand into his. His skin was warm, and there was a slight tingle, but it was an eerily familiar feeling. A flash of a memory floated at the
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