"Hurry," I whispered. "Before it stops working or someone comes."
Michael unfolded the map of the city and its surrounding boroughs. I pulled the Scythe out from under my arm, where I'd protected and hidden it as we made our way to the drug store.
"Please show me where to find my daughter," I whispered. My hand trembled with nerves and excitement as I held the Scythe over the map and let it dangle by the rope.
It fell with a purpose but felt less guided this time. "I think the magic is weakening." We peered down at the map in the faint light coming from the streetlights. I couldn't make out the details, but Michael and Gabriel's eyesight was superior to mine.
"What does it say?" I asked.
"Brooklyn," Michael said, but at the same moment, Gabriel also spoke.
"Queens."
Lucifer stepped forward and peered down at the map. Pulling out his phone, he turned on the flashlight so we could both see. "That clearly says The Bronx," he said, stabbing his finger over the word "Manhattan."
"What is wrong with you guys?" I asked. "It says Manhattan."
We stepped back. "Okay," Gabe whispered. "Why do we see four different maps?"
"Hang on." I put my hand on the Scythe, and it felt weaker. "The magic is fading, but Abel said it would last until we found her."
Grabbing my scant power, I funneled it into the Scythe. "No, wait. There's still a lot of power in this thing. Something is blocking it."
"Whoever has Ariel knows we're in New York," Michael said. "Do you think it would be possible to break the power of the Scythe away from whoever is blocking it?"
"With my full power, of course. But without it, not a chance."
Michael and Gabriel both tried, and Lucifer even gave it a go. None of them could sense the Scythe's power at all. "Why does it like you so much?" Luc asked with a grumpy side-eye.
"Because I only want Ariel. Nothing more. I don't want to use it for anything else."
"Neither do we." Michael indicated himself and Gabe.
"This is an object of sin," I said. "I suspect no angel could wield it." Abel had said those with good intentions, but that didn't explain their inability to sense its magic at all. "Let's try this."
I turned Lucifer around and tucked the Scythe into his backpack. "I'll get you back out in just a minute," I whispered to it. "You've been so wonderful helping us."
All three of them looked at me like I was nuts. "What? The magic is self-aware. Makes sense to tell it how wonderful it is, right?"
I raised my eyebrows at them, and they got the picture. If we pissed the Scythe off, it might not help us anymore.
"Oh, yeah." Gabe coughed. "It's the most powerful magic I've ever seen, personally." His voice was an octave too high and a bit too loud. Lucifer and Michael nodded over-exaggeratedly and hummed agreements.
Rolling my eyes, I grabbed the map and walked out of the alley, standing just out of the way of the busy pedestrians.
"Can anyone help us read this map?" I called out. Several people walked by, but one squat gentleman in a worn leather coat paused, then rolled his eyes and turned back.
"All four of you really can't read this?" he asked.
"Sort of, but we're in a bit of a disagreement on which way to go," I said. "We'd be so appreciative if you'd help."
He chuckled and shook his head at us. "Tourists. Gimme the map."
I handed it over and pointed to the spot the Scythe had landed on. "This is where we need to go."
"Well," he said. "Your map has a hole in it, so the name of the borough isn't legible."
I shuffled in closer to him and peered at the paper. "I would've sworn that hole wasn't there before," I whispered. "Can you tell us how to get to wherever that is?"
