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Description
Brooks slowly came into consciousness to the sound of something clanging loudly. For a moment he could not remember where he was. Then it all came rushing back to him. Escaping from the forest. Sneaking into the Crucio's mansion. Discovering the files in Sylvia's office. And Mariah... Mariah falling limp onto the ground...
Brooks opened his eyes and let out a low moan.
"Oh, the prisoner awakens," said a mocking voice somewhere above his head. Startled, Brooks sat bolt upright and promptly banged his head on the ceiling. He gasped and collapsed back down on the floor, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. His head hurt. And, come to think of it, so did the rest of his body.
The clanging noise started again. "Come on, prisoner, don't lay around all day," the voice sneered. "You don't want to keep Madam Sylvia waiting, do you?"
Brooks sat up and abruptly hit his head again. "Sylvia?" he gasped, eyes watering. "Sylvia Crucio?"
"That's right," the voice said, obviously enjoying Brooks' terror. "The lady herself."
Brooks took a moment out of his panic to look around him. Outside of his cage were the lower legs of what appeared to be a rather fat man, clad in the red and black colors of the Crucios. Brooks eyed them and decided he wouldn't try to fight the man on his own. The fat seemed to be all muscle.
The fat man started clanging again. "Come on prisoner, get a move on," he growled irritably. "Madam Sylvia wants you now."
What was making that noise? The loud metallic clanging was hurting Brooks' ears. He looked up and saw that the man outside was rattling a trapdoor in the top of the cage. A trapdoor! Why hadn't he seen that earlier? He could have used it to escape! Brooks put his head in his hands. It was too late for that anyway. Now he was being taken to Sylvia...
"Go to that corner of the cage," the man outside barked. "I don't want you getting any ideas while I unlock you."
Dutifully Brooks went and sat in the corner. What would Sylvia do to him when he met her? he wondered. Would she torture him? Demand to know what he knew? Possibly even kill him?
Above him Brooks heard the rattle of the cage door opening. "All right now, prisoner, go and sit underneath the trapdoor so I can secure you."
Brooks suppressed a shiver. Secure him? What did that mean? Tie him down? Make him unconscious? Render him incapable of regular movement? He crawled to the trapdoor opening. On his way there, his fingers brushed against a slim rod of wood. His wand! He closed his hand over it and slid it into his pocket. No way he was going to Sylvia without it.
As it turned out, "securing" him meant tying his hands behind his back with a length of chain that was spelled to keep him from escaping or using magic. Brooks winced as the man -- Guard, he thought -- jerked hard on the chain to make sure it was tight. "Okay, prisoner, you can stand up now," he said. Awkwardly, Brooks did as he instructed. It was much harder getting up from a crouch without your hands to steady you. As he straightened up fully and his head passed the cage, he half-expected another magic shock, but none came.
No sooner had Brooks straightened up fully when the guard grabbed the back of his collar and lifted him out of the cage. "Hey!" he yelped, startled. "Put me down!" He kicked his legs and struggled to free himself from the guard's hold. The guard carried Brooks out of the cage and dropped him hard on the concrete floor. "Ow!" yelled Brooks as he landed on his tailbone. "That hurt!"
The guard glared at Brooks. "Well, maybe if you hadn't been struggling so hard, I wouldn't have dropped you." He snagged the front of Brooks' shirt and dragged him to his feet. "Get a move on, prisoner," he spat, giving Brooks a hard shove in the direction of a staircase in the corner of the large stone room Brooks' cell was in. Brooks stumbled from the guard's push, but quickly regained his balance and set off for the stairs. As he put his foot on the first step, he wondered where he was going.
And he had plenty of time to wonder. The tightly winding staircase seemed to go on and on, until he got dizzy from climbing in circles. Occasionally he faltered, tripping on an uneven stone on a step. When that happened, he couldn't use his bound hands to steady himself, so to keep himself from falling forward, Brooks put more of his weight on his back foot. Unfortunately, that usually caused him to fall backwards onto his guard's large paunch. "Hey," the guard snapped as Brooks tipped toward him once more. "Stay on your own feet, prisoner."
"Sorry," Brooks muttered. The guard set him upright and prodded him with his spear to make him get moving again.
"Come on now, almost at the top," the guard growled. "Why the Madam wanted me to look over a spineless specimen like you I'll never know."
They reached the top of the staircase later. He and Brooks emerged onto a small stone landing, a plain wooden door on the other side. Brooks pictured Sylvia on the other side of the door, wand ready...
"Stand still, will ya?" the guard grunted from behind him. "I can't take off these chains while you're shivering like that."
"What?" Brooks exclaimed with surprise. "You're taking them off?"
"Not as a personal favor, mind you," the guard replied grumpily. "Madam Sylvia's orders."
Brooks heard a clink and a rattling noise as the cold metal came off. He rubbed his wrists, wincing as his fingers passed over the sore spots where the chain had rubbed in.
As Brooks was examining his wrists, the guard crossed the landing and knocked on the door. "Yeees?" drawled a lilting voice. Brooks shuddered - he recognized Sylvia's silvery tones.
"I've got the boy, Madam," the guard said through the door.
"Good," Sylvia replied. "Send him in."
The guard opened the door and beckoned Brooks toward it. "Have fun," he smirked as he shoved Brooks through. He stumbled, one hand out to steady himself against the doorway. But he quickly snatched them back as the guard slammed the door behind him. Brooks could hear the click of locks. Trapped. Just the one word sent a tremor of fear through him. A tremor that increased as he heard a silky voice speak in front of him.
"Hello, boy. Had a nice rest?"

Description
Brooks slowly came into consciousness to the sound of something clanging loudly. For a moment he could not remember where he was. Then it all came rushing back to him. Escaping from the forest. Sneaking into the Crucio's mansion. Discovering the files in Sylvia's office. And Mariah... Mariah falling limp onto the ground...
Brooks opened his eyes and let out a low moan.
"Oh, the prisoner awakens," said a mocking voice somewhere above his head. Startled, Brooks sat bolt upright and promptly banged his head on the ceiling. He gasped and collapsed back down on the floor, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. His head hurt. And, come to think of it, so did the rest of his body.
The clanging noise started again. "Come on, prisoner, don't lay around all day," the voice sneered. "You don't want to keep Madam Sylvia waiting, do you?"
Brooks sat up and abruptly hit his head again. "Sylvia?" he gasped, eyes watering. "Sylvia Crucio?"
"That's right," the voice said, obviously enjoying Brooks' terror. "The lady herself."
Brooks took a moment out of his panic to look around him. Outside of his cage were the lower legs of what appeared to be a rather fat man, clad in the red and black colors of the Crucios. Brooks eyed them and decided he wouldn't try to fight the man on his own. The fat seemed to be all muscle.
The fat man started clanging again. "Come on prisoner, get a move on," he growled irritably. "Madam Sylvia wants you now."
What was making that noise? The loud metallic clanging was hurting Brooks' ears. He looked up and saw that the man outside was rattling a trapdoor in the top of the cage. A trapdoor! Why hadn't he seen that earlier? He could have used it to escape! Brooks put his head in his hands. It was too late for that anyway. Now he was being taken to Sylvia...
"Go to that corner of the cage," the man outside barked. "I don't want you getting any ideas while I unlock you."
Dutifully Brooks went and sat in the corner. What would Sylvia do to him when he met her? he wondered. Would she torture him? Demand to know what he knew? Possibly even kill him?
Above him Brooks heard the rattle of the cage door opening. "All right now, prisoner, go and sit underneath the trapdoor so I can secure you."
Brooks suppressed a shiver. Secure him? What did that mean? Tie him down? Make him unconscious? Render him incapable of regular movement? He crawled to the trapdoor opening. On his way there, his fingers brushed against a slim rod of wood. His wand! He closed his hand over it and slid it into his pocket. No way he was going to Sylvia without it.
As it turned out, "securing" him meant tying his hands behind his back with a length of chain that was spelled to keep him from escaping or using magic. Brooks winced as the man -- Guard, he thought -- jerked hard on the chain to make sure it was tight. "Okay, prisoner, you can stand up now," he said. Awkwardly, Brooks did as he instructed. It was much harder getting up from a crouch without your hands to steady you. As he straightened up fully and his head passed the cage, he half-expected another magic shock, but none came.
No sooner had Brooks straightened up fully when the guard grabbed the back of his collar and lifted him out of the cage. "Hey!" he yelped, startled. "Put me down!" He kicked his legs and struggled to free himself from the guard's hold. The guard carried Brooks out of the cage and dropped him hard on the concrete floor. "Ow!" yelled Brooks as he landed on his tailbone. "That hurt!"
The guard glared at Brooks. "Well, maybe if you hadn't been struggling so hard, I wouldn't have dropped you." He snagged the front of Brooks' shirt and dragged him to his feet. "Get a move on, prisoner," he spat, giving Brooks a hard shove in the direction of a staircase in the corner of the large stone room Brooks' cell was in. Brooks stumbled from the guard's push, but quickly regained his balance and set off for the stairs. As he put his foot on the first step, he wondered where he was going.
And he had plenty of time to wonder. The tightly winding staircase seemed to go on and on, until he got dizzy from climbing in circles. Occasionally he faltered, tripping on an uneven stone on a step. When that happened, he couldn't use his bound hands to steady himself, so to keep himself from falling forward, Brooks put more of his weight on his back foot. Unfortunately, that usually caused him to fall backwards onto his guard's large paunch. "Hey," the guard snapped as Brooks tipped toward him once more. "Stay on your own feet, prisoner."
"Sorry," Brooks muttered. The guard set him upright and prodded him with his spear to make him get moving again.
"Come on now, almost at the top," the guard growled. "Why the Madam wanted me to look over a spineless specimen like you I'll never know."
They reached the top of the staircase later. He and Brooks emerged onto a small stone landing, a plain wooden door on the other side. Brooks pictured Sylvia on the other side of the door, wand ready...
"Stand still, will ya?" the guard grunted from behind him. "I can't take off these chains while you're shivering like that."
"What?" Brooks exclaimed with surprise. "You're taking them off?"
"Not as a personal favor, mind you," the guard replied grumpily. "Madam Sylvia's orders."
Brooks heard a clink and a rattling noise as the cold metal came off. He rubbed his wrists, wincing as his fingers passed over the sore spots where the chain had rubbed in.
As Brooks was examining his wrists, the guard crossed the landing and knocked on the door. "Yeees?" drawled a lilting voice. Brooks shuddered - he recognized Sylvia's silvery tones.
"I've got the boy, Madam," the guard said through the door.
"Good," Sylvia replied. "Send him in."
The guard opened the door and beckoned Brooks toward it. "Have fun," he smirked as he shoved Brooks through. He stumbled, one hand out to steady himself against the doorway. But he quickly snatched them back as the guard slammed the door behind him. Brooks could hear the click of locks. Trapped. Just the one word sent a tremor of fear through him. A tremor that increased as he heard a silky voice speak in front of him.
"Hello, boy. Had a nice rest?"