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

a soul completely is unforgivable."
    "What about setting it free?" I asked. "To be part of the Universe?"
    "Only God can do that if He chooses."
    I didn't tell him that I knew that trick, too. I was glad to hear it wasn't the worst thing.  
    "How much further to Uriel?" Obi asked.  
    "Not much," Alfred said. "We're near the edge of the city now. His home is only a mile or so past it."
    "Let me guess, a light blue house with a white picket fence?" I said.
    "Not quite," Alfred replied.
    "I have to say; Hell was a lot more interesting than this."
    "Debauchery usually is. The overload of the senses causes both mortal and seraph to give in to temptation. A life of prayerful meditation may not be as acutely exciting, but I would argue that it is infinitely more fulfilling."
    I couldn't counter the point. Not when I had never experienced the meditative state he was referring to. Not that I hadn't tried. It was a hard place to get to, and a hard place to stay. The souls in Heaven probably spent their eternity trying to master it.
    We finally reached the end of the city, which fell away abruptly into a series of verdant hills that undulated across the landscape. We walked a single-lane street that was lined with trees, all of them in a state of bloom that left an explosion of color everywhere I looked. Heaven was more boring than Hell, but it was also a lot more beautiful.  
    "Is there anything I should know about Uriel before I meet him?" I asked.
    "Be strong in your conviction. Be confident in your desire. Be pure of heart and conscience. If you believe the sword is truly the only way to save us, Uriel will sense it in your heart. That will earn you his trust."
    I could do that. I knew without question this was the only way. Sarah had made that painfully obvious with the wounds she had inflicted on me already.
    Uriel's home didn't have a white picket fence. It did have a wrought iron fence, twelve feet high and spiked on top, each one of the bars etched with more runes that I would have believed could fit in such a small space. I could see his house behind it, a large stone building that looked dim and heavy compared to the brightness of the surrounding countryside, as if a cloud was always hanging over it, dumping rain and sadness and depression down on the angel. And maybe it was.
    "Why does he need runes up here?" I asked.
    "The fence was made right before the war began. It was to protect us from the usurper. From Lucifer and his army. As the legend goes, Archangel Raphael stood guard for three years while Uriel made the sword, and upon its completion he carried it to the front lines, to Michael. There, Michael began to fell his enemies with the blade, taking their power until he was strong enough to confront Lucifer directly. Only the sword became lodged in Lucifer's chest, and when God cast him down into Hell, the sword went down with him, shattering before it reached the dark plane and spreading across the Earth."
    "It seems impossible that someone found all of the pieces," I said. I didn't know who had done that bit of work. Right now, I was grateful for it.
    "I imagine it took thousands of years," Alfred said.
    "Can we get inside?" Obi asked.
    "The gate is open," Alfred replied, pointing ahead to the front of the property.  
    The gate was hanging open. It seemed like it had been that way for a long, long time.
    "Remember, Diuscrucis," Alfred said as we reached the front door. "Be confident."
    "Confident. Right."
    I put up my hand to knock on the door. Then I noticed it was open a little. I glanced over at Alfred. It didn't seem to me that a self-imposed hermit would make it this easy for people to come and visit.
    "Something feels wrong about this," I said.
    "I agree," Alfred said. "Let me go in first. I will make sure it is safe for you."
    "Okay. Holler if you need backup."
    He didn't call for his blade. Instead, he stepped forward to push on the door.  
    Before he did, a robed figure appeared in it, small and slight.