Chương 226: Chapter 226: Spill The Bad News

Gabriel and Max waited for me in the underchamber of the Stronghold, Jiao and Sass with them. I avoided the drach leader's eyes, if only to evade for a moment the remaining sorrow there. His missing wings seemed even more obvious when I pretended they weren't gone. That he was whole again in body. Still, despite his lingering loss, he carried himself like the drach lord he was, so I refused to belittle his efforts to hold up a good front by feeling pity.

Sass embraced me, his power as familiar as ever if his shape as a human still took some getting used to.

I'm sorry about Pender, he whispered in my mind.

Me, too. I shook off my sadness. "Okay, sweets." I turned to Gabriel who watched me with sad eyes. "Spill the bad news."