"Freeze!"

I gasped. Not again!

I sprung up, my feet carrying me out of the room. The heavy, metal footsteps on the stone floor reverberated behind me, contrasting with my silent ones. I rounded a corner, panting, and I grasped one of the books from the bookshelf that stood there.

The bricks gave way, opening up into a narrow corridor. I slipped in, pulling down an old, rusted lever with a grunt. The bricks closed again, leaving me alone with only the sounds of rushing footsteps and the light of a single redstone torch. I squeezed in the narrow corridor, coming up to the two small holes in the brick wall. I peeked through them, watching the brightly lit corridor.

I could see as the flock of guards passed by the painting, and I sighed in relief. Pushing off the wall, I pulled the lever again, exiting the hideout. The gueards' footsteps still echoed down the long corridor, even as they were quite far by then.

I sighed out again.

They were really stupid. Why did they keep on raiding my dungeon? It's not like I did anything illegal. Why the sudden hostility against mages, then? I've heard others got raided, too.

This just didn't make any sense!

I tapped a book and the bricks came back into their respective places. Dusting off my clothes, I walked back to the library. With a small squeak from the chair, I sat down, eyes trained on the book that I was so rudely interrupted from.

I skimmed over the page, looking for the spot where I ended last time. Really, it's just so rude to interrupt someone while they're reading!

Everyone knows that, don't th-

"Stay put."

…

Huh?

My train of thought cuts off and I jump to my feet instinctively. My breath gets stuck in my throat as I feel cold steel pressed against it.

Someone stands behind me, their breath fanning over the back of my hood. A knife is pressed against my neck, digging into my skin but not quite breaking it.

A breath I didn't know I had been holding in escapes me as my whole body tenses up.

"Good boy," he whispers into my ear from behind, along with a throaty chuckle.

"What are you doing?" I ask, clenching my teeth.

"Arresting you," he answers. So a guard, then. Tch.

"Why? Tell me!" I demand.

"Orders."

He yanks my hands and slips a pair of chained cuffs onto them. Fighting him wouldn't do me any good, so I let him with a glare.

He tugs at the chains and pulls me away from my table.

"Fuck you…" I whisper as he pulls me up the stairs, his armor making a big ruckus.