No matter how far we flew, the souls kept going.
Gabe had been right. There were millions of souls here. They floated in their own personal space, with several feet between each of them. No matter how many I delved, doing hundreds or maybe thousands at once, they were human. All human, over and over.
We searched for hours, flying high over the masses, as high as we could go in a realm with no sky. The farther we went, the more hopeless I felt. Shouldn't Vincent have been closer to the gates? He wouldn't have been in here very long. "This is a nightmare," I whispered.
Luc flew closer and took my hand. "It is. This is our nightmare, set up by someone that knew exactly how to create it for us. I'm not sure what we did to deserve this, but if it's a punishment for something, it's working. I definitely feel punished."
I was nearly ready to give up, and not just the search here in Purgatory. The whole mission. I was nearly ready to let Raphael win. I'd do whatever he wanted if he'd let me have Ariel back. Exhaustion began to set over me. We'd never truly recovered from our transition to ethereal bodies. After only a little sleep we'd set off on another mission, another dead-end lead. And Lucifer never had healed from the failed spell. My wings were tired. My arms were tired, though I didn't know why. They didn't help me fly. Lucifer must've been ten times wearier. He hadn't complained though, so I tried not to. I wanted to whine and cry and gnash my teeth and stomp my feet. But I didn't. I kept flying.
"It's time to turn back," Lucifer said.
"A little more," I said. "If you're too tired and need to turn back, you can. I'll meet up with you at the gates." I squeezed his hand and smiled at him as we continued flying farther and farther out. "You've got to be about to drop."
He shook his head. "I'm hardier than you give me credit for. I'm staying with you."
He was right. His strength wasn't all in his magic. He was an incredibly powerful man. Angel.
Just as I sighed and was going to turn to him and admit defeat, I felt Gabe get excited through our bond. His energy washed over me, giving me hope when all seemed hopeless.
What is it? I sent my thoughts to him. We couldn't always converse this way, but I used my magic to make it work for us now. It was too much trouble for day-to-day conversations. Plus if we weren't careful it could get very invasive.
I think I have him.
"He's got him," I whispered, then relayed the information to Michael.
Lucifer grinned as I focused on Gabriel again. "Meet us at the Gates." They were the only way in or out of Purgatory. Once we had Vincent, if we needed to take him out of here, we'd have to go out of the gates.
"Let's go find out what this son of a bitch has to tell us," I said and tugged Luc's hand. We launched ourselves back the way we'd come with renewed vigor.
13
We flew back much faster, and my wings lost their tiredness in the excitement of finding Vincent. My curiosity and hope burned away my exhaustion.
What could he have to say? Why did he try so hard to contact me?
We arrived back at the gates, ignoring all the souls we passed—what else could we do? We couldn't help them, not yet. Gabriel, Michael, and the soul of Vincent were already there. I recognized it immediately. "That's him," I confirmed. It had the same disgusting coloring I remembered.
His soul pulsed when he heard my voice. "Is he awake?" I asked. I poked at him but didn't want to delve into him yet. That could be dangerous.
"Now what?" Lucifer asked. "Can we take him out of here?"
I shrugged. "Even if we do, what will we do with him? He's a pure soul. He needs to be dealt with in Abaddon. We can't take him there."
"There's no way to talk to him that I know of," Michael said. "Except possession." Vincent's soul pulsed again. "Ugh, it seems like that's what he wants."
We all moaned. The thought of being possessed by this sicko was repulsive. Plus, what if he gained the upper hand? In theory, he could take control of my body and leave me a helpless passenger of my own self.
Yeah, right. Like I'd ever let that happen.
"Well, I have no magic to expel him, or I'd volunteer," Luc said. "Ordinarily, I wouldn't be worried about being possessed by the soul of a minor angel, but..." He shrugged. "Sorry."
He was right. Vincent was a minor angel. His powers were negligent next to mine. "I'll do it," I said. I had to hold up my hand against arguments.
Michael and Gabriel were strong, incredibly so. They were among the strongest of all the Archangels. Michael might've been the strongest if they'd ever put it to the test. He probably rivaled me and Lucifer in terms of raw power.
But they weren't the Queen of Hell. And in Abaddon, and by extension, Purgatory, I was stronger still. This was my domain. I drew energy from the very air we breathed.
"I think I'm the only choice," I said. "If we were in Elysium, it would be one of you," I said before they could begin their protestation. They couldn't argue with that. Not that I was allowed in Elysium. Ever again.
Michael rolled his eyes and Gabe pulled me into his arms. "Be careful." They were so sweet and protective. It wasn't easy for them to be able to let go and let me stand on my own, not when they were right there to help. But I'd feel the same way if the situation was reversed. I'd want to help them.
Luc winked at me. He was more the stand back and
