Free Extinction (The Divine Book 7) by M.R. Forbes

lead Gervais right to me."
    "Which could be very valuable if utilized correctly."
    I was going to say something. I kept my mouth shut. He was thinking way ahead of me. I took a few breaths, staring up at the sky.
    "Okay. I'm listening. What do you know?"
    "After you defeated Abaddon, I returned to Purgatory to begin doing some research. On Zifah for one, as I had never heard of him before. On Adam for another."
    "Why Adam? Did you have a reason to be suspicious?"
    "Adam helped create the Fist and is today considered a denizen of Hell, as are Zifah and Gervais. I couldn't rule out that he would help them learn to control the weapon."
    I hadn't thought of that, but it made sense. "What did you discover that you decided not to tell me until it was overly important and probably too late?"
    He smiled sheepishly. I had hit the nail right on the head.  
    "I discovered that Sarah had been in communication with him. She was using an old friend of yours to send messages to him."
    "Old friend of mine?" I asked.
    "The messenger demon. Yuli."
    "I didn't think that little cretin was still alive."
    "Si, signore. Working for Sarah. Since she was using a messenger, I couldn't determine what the contents of the messages were."
    "But she was reaching out to him?" I asked. "Not the other way around?"
    "As near as I can tell, that is correct."
    So she hadn't been lying when she said she was using him. The idea of her actions being solely her responsibility made me feel sick. She had killed her so-called boyfriend and the changelings because she wanted to do it, not because Adam had put her under some kind of spell.
    I sat silently for a minute. I knew the truth, but I didn't want to admit to it. I definitely didn't want to say it. First Josette. Then Charis and Clara. Then Rose and Elyse. Not Sarah, too.
    "Landon," Dante said in a way that suggested he knew what I was thinking.
    "I have to kill her, don't I?" I said.
    "We cannot let her destroy the Divine, and there is no other way to stop her."
    "I can reason with her."
    "Can you, signore?"
    I slammed my fist into the ground. "Damn it," I shouted. I knew I couldn't change her mind on this. It wasn't like when she was fighting her evil side, and I was trying to help her. This was the true culmination of her visions. The real endgame.  
    It was going to happen unless I ended her life.
    "I can't get near her," I said. "My power is useless."
    "You took only the smallest fraction of the Beast's power. It was an honorable decision, but also a short-sighted one. Fortunately, you also have one of the most powerful weapons ever made in your possession."
    "I do?"
    "Uriel's blade."
    I had forgotten about the sword that Hearst had trapped Abaddon with, using it to draw out his power and take it for himself.  
    "The sword is in pieces," I said. It was in Alyx's new home in Mexico, sitting in a shoebox under her bed. "Besides, what would I do with it?"
    "First, it doesn't have to remain that way," Dante replied. "Second, do you really need to ask? The blade steals Divine energy. You can use it to increase your power."
    "You want me to do the same thing I'm supposed to stop Sarah from doing?"
    "As a means to an end, yes. Such increased ability might also give you the upper hand against Gervais and the Fist."
    I couldn't deny there was a pretty solid upside, but it wasn't all wine and roses. "Only one person can reforge the sword."
    "Si, signore."
    "You know what will happen if Uriel comes to Earth. It's bad enough Raguel stopped by to make an appearance."
    "Si, signore. I understand the ramifications. That is why Uriel cannot come to the sword. That is why the sword must go to him."
    I nodded. "Good idea. There's an angel helping me. One of Josette's mentors. His name is Alfred. He-"
    Dante was shaking his head.
    "What?" I asked.
    "If you turn the weapon over to the seraphim, you will never see it again."
    "What if I make them promise to return it?"
    "They will not make that promise. Uriel's blade is of