Liora stopped before her foot touched the link.
The assistant on the far side had thrown up one hand. Behind him, Veylan reached for the outer rail. Then the inspection cover tore loose.
Metal struck stone with a sound too large for the little space. The link dropped at its center. Its outer end stayed where it was for a heartbeat, making a sloping path down into the dark. A pale line flashed beneath it.
"Back!" Veylan shouted.
Liora caught Jory by the front of his coat and drove him toward the refuge. A broken piece of railing struck his lower leg as he turned. He went down beside the door, taking the lamp against his chest. I stepped toward him. Aiden got there first.
"Inside," he said.
He lifted Jory beneath the shoulders while Liora cleared the loose rail from his ankle. Maren reached for the other end, and the three of them moved him through the doorway before the middle of the link fell out of sight.
The floor kicked beneath my boots.
