Azura's POV
We had been riding and fighting and pushing forward for days. Now we were finally here, standing at the line between the ordinary world and whatever that place was. Every single person had gone completely still.
Then Torin swung down from his horse.
Nobody said anything. We all watched him land on the ground, roll his shoulders once, and walk straight across the line without breaking his stride, like he had decided that somebody had to do it and it might as well be him.
He took three steps in.
Then his whole body started shaking.
Not slightly. Not a tremor. His knees buckled and he went down hard, both hands going to his head, his whole frame folding toward the ground like something had reached inside him and pulled.
Rhydor was off his horse before I had finished processing what I was seeing.
He crossed the line in two strides and dropped down beside Torin, one hand on his shoulder, calling his name sharply.
"Torin."
