The moment Kane broke away the sensation cut off, like a climax abruptly throttled. It let Solomon gasping and disoriented, and he stumbled, one hand out expecting a shadow to be there and catch him and forgetting that there would be none. His heel caught a stone and he fell hard on his back, and it was the winding blow more than anything else that cut through the dull buzz.

Solomon groaned and forced himself to roll over, his head swimming and skin still tingling, his chest still tight with the cold of his magic inside him, unable to get out and wanting to because of Malicant's boon.

"Don't touch me," he said, a touch weakly, and then put his forehead down on his arm so he could take a few deep breaths, and see about breaking the control Malicant had on him--if he even could, when he'd cut himself off from control of his magic himself.