He backed up and looked at the gates. "The physical gates aren't damaged, but I can't see the magic. Can you?"
Lucifer and I both backed up and peered at the magic that created the real gates of Hell. The physical gates were more for show, although they had to be tied to the magical one because when it had weakened, they had as well.
I couldn't see it.
"It looks as strong as I've ever seen it," Luc said.
Well, apparently, he could see it. "So why can't we get out?" I asked.
"I was able to come in before," Gabriel said. "Let me try now."
He narrowed his eyes, but nothing happened. "No, it's like before all this happened. Can't get in at all."
"What about our home?" I asked. "Maybe I can physically move from one side to the other." Part of our palace was inside the gates and part was outside. "Go check on Michael and Joel. I'll go see if I can get out that way."
I tried moving with magic, and it was easy. I appeared in Lucifer and my bedroom. The door to the other half of the house was in here.
It opened with ease, and I was able to walk through. Laughing, I ran through that bedroom, through the hall, down the stairs, and to the front door, which would put me outside the gates of Hell, though far away from where Michael and Gabriel waited for me.
The door wouldn't open. "No!" I yelled. "This can't be."
I ran from window to window, then tried the back door. None of them would open. No amount of magic I tried to use would let me blink out of the house, either.
We were stuck in Hell for no discernable reason.
I willed myself back to the gates and of course, that was no freaking problem. I appeared beside Lucifer.
Gabriel and Michael stood just outside the gate. Both had tears running down their cheeks. "He's gone," Michael said. "There's no doubt."
The female angel that had accompanied him to the Academy appeared before I could tell them we still couldn't leave Hell.
"No!" she screamed.
Gabriel and Michael ran to her and did their best to comfort her. I watched as they spoke, telling her what happened. My body pressed against the gates. I desperately wanted to be there, trying to do anything I could to help her. But that wasn't even an option.
Luc's hand on my shoulder helped calm me somewhat.
"What are we going to do?" I asked.
He looked as lost as I felt.
Turning to the Fallen, he addressed the crowd. "Go organize the demons. Prepare for the souls that will begin coming. I'd say the River is already flowing again. We sent all those souls to rebirth, but humans die constantly. They'll be coming along."
"How do we know they'll get in?" Asmodeus asked.
I shrugged. "We don't. But we should be prepared."
When we turned back to see Michael and Gabriel, they were walking toward us slowly with the angel between them.
"Lilith," Michael said. "It's bigger than just Hell."
I raised my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
Gabe patted the woman on the arm. "This is Charity."
Lucifer and I recognized the name. He nodded his head at her. "I thank you for the use of your powers when I couldn't get mine."
She waved her hand. "It wasn't exactly my choice, but you're welcome."
