The man shoved at Harry and he toppled over, crying out as he hit the hard ground, stars and waves of black taking over his vision. Hands grabbed at him and he tried to kick, but of course he was still held tight in the spell.
He was thrown over a shoulder, bone digging into his stomach and carried jouncing out of the room and down a long hallway. Soft pained sounds forced their way out of him with every step. The sight of the floor going by beneath him, little more than a faint, gray blur made his head spin, blood pounding and he closed his eyes to try and keep from throwing up.
"Here we are." Harry found himself swung off the shoulder and then his back hit something solid.
He opened his eyes, but the room was bright, like the middle of the day and he was blinded. A weight pressed down over his chest, tight and then tighter, until he had to fight to breathe. There was a click, like something locking into place and then the spell around him broke.
His eyes were watering, blurry, but he could see the man and someone else, someone much smaller moving around him. More pressure, straps, pinned his hips down, his arms against his sides. A small hand grabbed at his ankle and he kicked, shouting and cursing, using every foul word he knew.
"Shhhh..." Fingers ran soothingly across his ankle as a woman's voice cooed at him. "Hush. It's all for the best. You'll see. I know you're frightened, but-"
"Enough!" The man again, and his big hand wrapped around his ankle, slamming his leg down and yanking the last strap tight enough that Harry felt the edge of it cut into his skin, a small trickle of blood following the curve of it. "Get on with it Kumori."
The woman murmured something and then moved away. Her voice lifted a few seconds later in a loud, rolling chant. Harry felt the power growing, slowly and steadily. The man, the one who'd attacked the house, the one who'd hurt Murphy, hurt Mouse and maybe killed everyone came to stand over Harry, watery blue-grey eyes lit with pleasure and power.
He stood there, waiting until Kumori's chant hit a rising crescendo and then he lifted a small cup, prying Harry's mouth open with his other hand.
Harry bit him, hard enough to draw blood, imagining his teeth sinking in to the bone. The man cursed and fumbled to set the cup down before he spilled it. He took hold of Harry's hair and slammed his head back into the wood of the table, once, twice, until Harry's jaw muscles went slack, his world narrowed down to a thin slice of sight as darkness and pain too the rest of it.
Something foul and oily was forced into his mouth and as he tried to spit it out a big hand clamped his jaw shut, covered his nose until he had to swallow, couldn't help it. The man let go and Harry dragged in as deep a breath as he could.
"It's a shame you're too rare to kill, Dresden."
Whatever it was he'd swallowed burned, felt like a weight inside of him. The man moved away, out of sight, and Harry heard the snap of energy, felt the press of magic as a circle was closed around him. Pain sliced through him, felt like it was trying to cut him open and rip him apart from the inside and he cried out, couldn't get enough air to scream.
In the middle of it all, with his blood pounding and the pain making him writhe, there was a tearing sound, a sensation of a dark, dank breeze and then something shimmered in the air over him. Something he couldn't see, except he could now, more and more. Wavering heat lines and then it started to fade into being, dark and smokey where it was visible at all.
Dark spots appeared in from of his face, coalesced and flickered and the thought skittered through Harry's brain that they were eyes. That they were his eyes, dark brown and hovering and then the vaporous thing laughed, deep and hissing as it started to move closer.
I'm wondering about Cowl and Kumori- I've seen it suggested that Cowl is scum and Kumori is a Well Intentioned Extremist sliding into full corruption into scumhood- is that what you're going for here?
I actually sort of view both Kumori *and* Cowl as Well Intentioned Extremists. Only Cowl's a lot further gone than Kumori, in my mind. He's harsher, just wants to get to the goal and is past the point of trying to explain to anyone why What Has To Be Done has to be done.
Harry's in his way, and has hurt him, so he'd really like to remove Harry. But (in this story) he also *needs* Harry. So it's irritating that he needs to keep Harry alive, but that doesn't mean he has to give a rats behind about Harry understanding his Lofty Purpose or being scared out of his mind or in pain. If it doesn't impact what he needs out of Harry, he just doesn't care.
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timeasmymeasure
Fill: 12/? scrappy!Harry prompt
Date: 2011-03-18 04:00 pm (UTC)He was thrown over a shoulder, bone digging into his stomach and carried jouncing out of the room and down a long hallway. Soft pained sounds forced their way out of him with every step. The sight of the floor going by beneath him, little more than a faint, gray blur made his head spin, blood pounding and he closed his eyes to try and keep from throwing up.
"Here we are." Harry found himself swung off the shoulder and then his back hit something solid.
He opened his eyes, but the room was bright, like the middle of the day and he was blinded. A weight pressed down over his chest, tight and then tighter, until he had to fight to breathe. There was a click, like something locking into place and then the spell around him broke.
His eyes were watering, blurry, but he could see the man and someone else, someone much smaller moving around him. More pressure, straps, pinned his hips down, his arms against his sides. A small hand grabbed at his ankle and he kicked, shouting and cursing, using every foul word he knew.
"Shhhh..." Fingers ran soothingly across his ankle as a woman's voice cooed at him. "Hush. It's all for the best. You'll see. I know you're frightened, but-"
"Enough!" The man again, and his big hand wrapped around his ankle, slamming his leg down and yanking the last strap tight enough that Harry felt the edge of it cut into his skin, a small trickle of blood following the curve of it. "Get on with it Kumori."
The woman murmured something and then moved away. Her voice lifted a few seconds later in a loud, rolling chant. Harry felt the power growing, slowly and steadily. The man, the one who'd attacked the house, the one who'd hurt Murphy, hurt Mouse and maybe killed everyone came to stand over Harry, watery blue-grey eyes lit with pleasure and power.
He stood there, waiting until Kumori's chant hit a rising crescendo and then he lifted a small cup, prying Harry's mouth open with his other hand.
Harry bit him, hard enough to draw blood, imagining his teeth sinking in to the bone. The man cursed and fumbled to set the cup down before he spilled it. He took hold of Harry's hair and slammed his head back into the wood of the table, once, twice, until Harry's jaw muscles went slack, his world narrowed down to a thin slice of sight as darkness and pain too the rest of it.
Something foul and oily was forced into his mouth and as he tried to spit it out a big hand clamped his jaw shut, covered his nose until he had to swallow, couldn't help it. The man let go and Harry dragged in as deep a breath as he could.
"It's a shame you're too rare to kill, Dresden."
Whatever it was he'd swallowed burned, felt like a weight inside of him. The man moved away, out of sight, and Harry heard the snap of energy, felt the press of magic as a circle was closed around him. Pain sliced through him, felt like it was trying to cut him open and rip him apart from the inside and he cried out, couldn't get enough air to scream.
In the middle of it all, with his blood pounding and the pain making him writhe, there was a tearing sound, a sensation of a dark, dank breeze and then something shimmered in the air over him. Something he couldn't see, except he could now, more and more. Wavering heat lines and then it started to fade into being, dark and smokey where it was visible at all.
Dark spots appeared in from of his face, coalesced and flickered and the thought skittered through Harry's brain that they were eyes. That they were his eyes, dark brown and hovering and then the vaporous thing laughed, deep and hissing as it started to move closer.
Harry found the breath to scream.
Re: Fill: 12/? scrappy!Harry prompt
Date: 2011-03-18 04:48 pm (UTC)Crap, crap. D-d-does....this mean the Outsider is free or almost?
*whimpers*
Re: Fill: 12/? scrappy!Harry prompt
Date: 2011-03-18 05:20 pm (UTC)*shifty look* It means something. But I'm not telling you!
Re: Fill: 12/? scrappy!Harry prompt
Date: 2011-03-18 06:24 pm (UTC)(...I hope the good guys are bring some of the big guns with them. I have a feeling they are going to need it. :|)
Re: Fill: 12/? scrappy!Harry prompt
Date: 2011-03-18 07:55 pm (UTC)Re: Fill: 12/? scrappy!Harry prompt
Date: 2011-03-18 08:14 pm (UTC)*evil author scuttles off to hide under her rock*
Re: Fill: 12/? scrappy!Harry prompt
Date: 2011-03-18 08:01 pm (UTC)I'm wondering about Cowl and Kumori- I've seen it suggested that Cowl is scum and Kumori is a Well Intentioned Extremist sliding into full corruption into scumhood- is that what you're going for here?
Re: Fill: 12/? scrappy!Harry prompt
Date: 2011-03-18 08:20 pm (UTC)I actually sort of view both Kumori *and* Cowl as Well Intentioned Extremists. Only Cowl's a lot further gone than Kumori, in my mind. He's harsher, just wants to get to the goal and is past the point of trying to explain to anyone why What Has To Be Done has to be done.
Harry's in his way, and has hurt him, so he'd really like to remove Harry. But (in this story) he also *needs* Harry. So it's irritating that he needs to keep Harry alive, but that doesn't mean he has to give a rats behind about Harry understanding his Lofty Purpose or being scared out of his mind or in pain. If it doesn't impact what he needs out of Harry, he just doesn't care.