"Murder," Lucifer whispered. His eyes widened. "I thought these were just rumors."
"How did you create Hell?" Michael asked.
Lucifer looked perplexed. "I had enough power. The Fall, it wasn't as cut and dry as people think. We were cast from Elysium, all at once. As we burst out of Elysium's gates, I wrapped us in that power and used it to cushion our fall. As time went on, I knew for us to fulfill our charge of helping sinners, we'd have to have our own version of Elysium."
"Hell," I whispered. "We all helped, but it was Lucian's power and strength that formed it."
"Bolstered by the power of God," Gabe said. "Makes sense. These were discovered a few hundred years ago. An angel killed another angel and imbibed an object with the power. It doesn't have to settle in the murder weapon, as in the case of Cain and Abel. Then he went on a killing spree, killing humans, angels, animals. Anyone he could get his hands on. He'd decided he wanted enough power to challenge God."
Lucifer's eyebrows raised, as did mine. "I didn't even want to do that," he said. "Simply disagreed with him."
Gabriel chuckled. "Exactly. And look how God reacted to your rebellion. This time, he was beyond angry. The angel, who we are not allowed to name, was obliterated. His soul ceased to exist. And God destroyed the Object he was making."
Lucifer whistled through his teeth. "I've never known God to destroy a soul. We have the souls of the evilest beings to ever exist in Hell."
"For now," I said darkly. "How can you tell what this thing is? I don't feel any power on it."
"I feel the evil," Michael said. "The nature of your jobs has probably desensitized you both."
Ugh, that was a gross thought. I dealt with evil so often that I didn't feel it now.
"That means that Raph or another angel must have made this," Luc said, shifting the hammer in his hands. "A human, not even a witch, would have had the power with this."
"The amount it took to create Hell was significant," Lucifer said. "More than the Scythe by far."
"I thought you couldn't feel that power?" I asked, twisting in his arms.
"I can't. Couldn't. But I've dealt with Relics like it. One murder isn't really that much power. It would make a single angel pretty formidable, but in the grand scheme of things, not all that much. Not compared to what you're talking about."
"That's the thing. The murder of dozens builds up in the Relic until it becomes a massive amount of power. As far as I know, it can only be used once and then that's it."
"Like the Scythe," I said. "One and done."
Michael nodded. "Right. But the Lignum Crucis keeps its power. It can be used indefinitely. There are many other Relics that work both ways."
The full weight of what he had described settled in on me. I jumped up. "You're telling me Raphael created another dimension or realm or whatever and took our daughter to it?" Using this hammer, which was now worthless, but once held the power of who-knew how many souls.
Michael nodded as a tear crept down his cheek. It broke his heart to tell me. "And we can't follow, because we don't know where the realm is, nor do we have a key or enough power to break in?"
He nodded again. Gabe stood and walked toward me, but I held up my hand. "Don't."
Storming out of the room, I slammed my way into the downstairs bathroom and shut the door behind me. I wasn't mad at them, and I hoped we'd been together long enough that they knew that. I just needed a moment to process.
It didn't matter how long we'd been together. I'd never dealt with emotions of this magnitude. My child was in another realm I couldn't get to no matter what I tried. I had to give up. I had to let her go.
A screech worked its way out of my throat as the emotions became unbearable. I slammed my fists against the door as my anger erupted. Words didn't make sense as they came out of my mouth. Mainly I screamed cuss words as my heart exploded in my chest.
When I'd done all the damage I could muster to my hands and the door, I stumbled backward until my back hit the wall. Tears flowed freely as I watched the door open. Gabriel and Michael looked at me with matching expressions of agony.
"You okay?" Gabe whispered.
I snorted and wiped my eyes. "Peachy."
"Sorry. Stupid question," he replied. "Come on."
"Where's Luc?" I asked. Michael held out his hand, offering to pull me to my feet, so I let him.
"He got pretty upset at the sound of your cries and screams," Michael said. He pulled me to my feet and straight into his arms.
