Gabriel let Murphy draw away, squeezing the man's hands in final reassurance before letting them go and folding his own in his lap. At that, the Archangel couldn't help but laugh. Hadn't his Master given Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere their second chance on the cusp of disaster? "You'd be surprised," he said with a smile, "where second chances can arise. Sometimes the best ones are in supernatural hellholes you're not likely to survive."

Where better to prove a man's mettle than in the face of adversity? There was a reason the wagers had usually taken the same basic tact. People who were blessed with a rich life didn't need second chances. They didn't need to be dressed down, to prove their worth to themselves and to Lucifer. They didn't need the opportunity such places offered.

"Oh, I don't mind," Gabe said with a shrug and another laugh. "There's cause; I wouldn't say it's an inaccurate description of this place."