Drop of Hope (The Omni Towers, #4)

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.