Redemption by Denise Grover Swank

out of this disaster. The math didn’t stand up. By her count there were seven players, seven of them who had elemental powers. That meant three wouldn’t participate in the final battle, a fact that Aiden was counting on. Aiden had planned all along to be one of those three. So who would be the four? There was no way Will would agree to stand on the sidelines if she were to battle for her life, but if there were some way to trick him into it, and some way to have Jake sit out as well…
    Perhaps joining with Will hadn’t been the best decision. Before they realized Will was the son of Water, she had to only get herself and Jake out the situation her father had created. But now that Will’s powers had been revealed, he could be forced into the ring. And they had to consider their mystical bond. They had no idea what it meant if one of them died. After Will’s demonstration last night, it was clear that her powers were weak, weaker than his. Aiden planned to force her to fight, to be one of the four. Even if she could figure out a way to get Will to stay on the sidelines, he still might die. Because of her.
    She had to come up with something within two weeks. It seemed totally hopeless, but she couldn’t watch them die. She’d spend every spare moment getting stronger and scouring the book for some answers.
    She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’m just scared. We have no idea how much longer we have to figure this out before the end and we hope the answers are in this gibberish.”
    “We should have at least a couple of weeks. We’ll figure it out. Why don’t we look at what we do know?”
    “Yeah. Okay, that’s a good idea.” She took a deep breath and flipped to the page with the joining words, her biggest concern at the moment. “The joining words are here. I didn’t know them until I read them in the coffee shop, but then it was like they were burned into my brain. When we joined last night, they were just there.”
    Will put his hand on the book. “Maybe there are some other kinds of oaths in there that can help us.”
    “I think we should study the joining words more. They may have a clue or insight to help us. Maybe they have another purpose.”
    “Their purpose was to bind us.”
    “But the words mean something, Will. They obviously have power.”
    “The power to bind us for eternity. They did their purpose.”
    Emma wasn’t ready to dismiss it.
     
    With echoes from the beginning of time
    To the last ray of light from the stars at the end
    I join my heart with yours
    onto an endless path that winds through infinity
    and sears our souls and power into an unbreakable bond
    Through life and death, and all that lies between
    I vow to be yours, forever
     
    The shadows on the seat darkened as she read aloud, creeping closer to her.
    “Did you see that?” She gripped the sides of the book with both hands.
    His shoulders straightened and he looked out the window. “See what?”
    “The shadows. They moved while I read the words. They also moved when I studied the book in Albuquerque.”
    “Maybe you’re imagining things.”
    “No, I’m not. Raphael said we ruled the shadow realm, so it makes sense that they might be affected by these words. And Raphael and Alex both claim that elementals—that we— don’t die but are instead exiled to the shadow world. I haven’t seen anything about that in the book yet.”
    “First, it’s hard to trust anything Raphael says. He would have promised you the moon to get you to join with him. But, we can’t dismiss it either, especially if you think the shadows moved.”
    She leaned over the book again. “‘With echoes of the beginning of time.’ What do you think that means?”
    “Maybe it’s power from the beginning of time. It has to be something powerful to bind us for eternity.”
    “It joins our hearts on an endless path through infinity.”
    “Another way of saying forever.”
    “‘Through life and death and all that lies