Rowan already knew the adherents' spirits were trapped thanks to the struggle between their own magic and Ciprian's poison. Just like last time he'd tried to help, he could sense Tamlyn's aura encasing her like a protective shell that would prevent him from simply untangling the poison from her soul the way he'd done with the pregnant woman in the woods.
He also knew he had no choice but to venture into the adherents' spirit-spaces to bring them back, and he was prepared to do whatever it took to save their lives and purge them of the vile thing that held them hostage.
But he wasn't prepared to lose his grasp on the Orderly plane so swiftly or with such force.
As soon as his magic touched the shell of Tamlyn's aura, the energy that lurked beneath it knocked the song from his lips and ripped the air from his lungs. Instead of having to force his way in, it sucked him down as if it were eager to swallow him whole.
