Gabe wrapped his arms around me, and Michael did the same for Luc and as a group, we pushed forward.
Lucifer's hand moved millimeter by millimeter as the cold pounded through me. When my chest felt frozen solid, the cold began to seep through my brain. Crying out, I pushed as hard as I could, and with a relieving blast of warmth, Lucifer's hand wrapped around the cross without any obstruction.
"Wow," I gasped, eyeing the cross in Luc's hand as I leaned over, hands on knees, and panted. My body thawed quickly, the warmth bringing tears to my eyes. Turning my head, I realized Lucifer's cheeks were soaked with tears as he stared at the cross.
"Why?" Michael asked. "Why only you? And why is it still glamoured?"
By all we knew of magic, it should've turned to the Scythe by now.
"Does it sing for any of you?" I asked. I'd finally caught my breath and the cold was a horrible memory already.
They shook their heads. I reached out my hand for Luc to put the cross in it.
He moved slowly, setting the base of the cross in my palm so that it stood upright. As soon as the cross touched my skin, the music stopped and the wooden, carved cross turned into a dark, nearly black, partially eroded, farmer's scythe. I had to close my fingers around it to keep from dropping it.
"Whoa," I whispered. "Why me?"
"Intent," Michael whispered. "I don't know why Gabe and I couldn't touch it or feel it at all. Luc, could you have eventually grabbed it without our help?"
He shook his head, stricken. "I like to think I'm stronger than any, but I was near giving up when Lilith touched me. And again before you two did. Without all four of us, I don't think we could've gotten it off that shelf."
"Intent?" I questioned.
"Michael and I." Gabe motioned to the other Archangel. "Would never use this scythe for personal gain or anything, really, other than fixing this current situation we're in. We'd find a way to hide it when this is over."
"I wouldn't either," I said. "The power rolling off this thing is impressive. In my human body, I can tell if I funneled my little bit of power through it, it would make me nearly as strong as I am as a Fallen. If I used it as a Fallen? There's no telling how powerful I'd be." But I never would have used it. Nobody should be that powerful. Then they'd be pissing off God, and though I didn't mind disagreeing with him, I didn't want to piss him off.
"Lucifer?" Michael asked. "Can you say you'd put it right back under powerful spells and hide it?"
Luc stared at the Scythe. His gaze hadn't left it from the moment it was revealed. He looked me deep in my eyes. "No," he said. "I'd use it for Ariel, absolutely, but then I'd keep it."
I smiled at my life-long partner. "And that's why it doesn't want you to have it, my love. Because can you imagine how volatile you could become with that much power?"
He squinted his eyes and pursed his lips. "No, I think I'd be a delight."
Another joke from the mighty Lucifer. I could've gotten used to that. Michael and Gabriel burst out laughing and clapped Luc on the back. "That's one way to describe it," Gabriel chortled.
"Okay, boys. We have the Scythe. Now what?"
"Now, we use it to find Ariel, then we use it to kill Lucian's body," Michael said. "I've got what we need right here." He grabbed the shelf the cross had been on and tossed it onto the closest pew before picking up a stack of maps and a bit of rope. "Now, I'm not sure how this thing will work. If we need to use it to perform the spell or if we need to use it to cut your hands or both, or what."
"Let's use it every possible way to increase our chances," I suggested.
Everyone nodded without speaking. Michael spread out a map of the Earth realm. "First, let's see if she's in this realm."
I studied the Scythe. "It's pretty dull," I said. "I'll need someone to do it for me."
Gabe took my hand, and I held out the Scythe. We all held our breaths for a second to see if he could even grab it, but now that I'd broken the spell over it, he picked it up with no problem.
The wooden handle of the tool had long ago rotted away, so he positioned his hand about halfway down the blade, then pressed the tip to my skin.
Closing my eyes, I gritted my teeth and ignored the agonizing pain of a dull, rusty blade cutting jaggedly into my flesh.
Gabriel moved fast, so the worst of it was over in seconds. Opening my eyes, I smiled shakily and congratulated myself on not crying out in pain.
Blood pooled in the palm of my hand. Gabe handed the Scythe to Lucifer. When his hand closed around it, he sucked in a sharp breath. "Dang, this thingispowerful."
I chuckled and arched an eyebrow at him. "Told you."
