Gabriel didn't turn when Crowley spoke, nor did he try to respond; any words caught in his throat and died away uselessly. It was more thanks than he had expected from Crowley, and while he was grateful that the demon could see fit to share with him such information, the blunt statement caught him, harsh and cold in his chest.

For a being of such infinite perceptions as an angel, Wales suddenly seemed unspeakably bleak and far away.