AN: Short chapter this time, sorry :( But I did write a coda for episode 12.09 "Fresh Blood", the newest one to have aired. Please check it out! It's called "Everything" and it has all the Castiel angst you could ever hope for.
Magnus's footsteps were heavy. He appeared in front of the cell. He had a tan bag hanging off his arm. Castiel stayed in his corner. Magnus's grip was tight around the key. His face was red. He slammed the cell door open and stormed in, and he slammed it close behind him. The bars rattled.
"Monstrous things," Magnus muttered. "Angel, your reputation seems to precede you."
Castiel remained silent, but his eyebrows did rise in confusion.
Magnus sat on the ground and began to pull out several items from the bag.
"Hunters were here earlier," Magnus said. "Looking for you."
Castiel fought to remain conscientious of his reactions. He was stoic, did not allow any emotion to show on his face; but his mind was reeling, his heart thumping wildly inside his chest. Sam and Dean had been here.
"I barely got rid of them," Magnus continued as he pulled items from the bag. Castiel arched his neck, but could barely see anything Magnus was taking out. "Had to call Stevie out on them." Magnus stood. He had a long coil of rope in his hands. "But they'll be back, I'm sure. Angel, we've got to move you."
He stepped forward. Castiel jerked back, trying to squeeze himself as far into his little corner as he could.
Magnus's eyes burned in anger. "Angel, we're not playing these silly games. I'm trying to keep you safe. Those hunters are horrible people! They'll abuse you, just like that man!"
Sam and Dean had been here, sometime. They knew where he was. Castiel couldn't let Magnus move him, not when the Winchesters were so close to saving him.
"Put your hands out," Magnus said, holding the coil of rope. Castiel could see where warding symbols had been burned in, ones similar to those on the ceiling.
Castiel looked at those wards, and glanced to the ones of the ceiling.
Suddenly, Castiel was overwhelmed with a sense of anger. He was an angel. A being of indefinable power; blood and the grace of God flowed through his veins. This man should be cowering at his feet—at his mercy—not the other way around.
Castiel was a warrior of God—and this entire time he allowed Magnus to keep him subdued out of Castiel's fear of pain. What kind of warrior was Castiel? He led the siege to the Pit of Hell—and he had been afraid of the pain cast by a spell?
No. No more.
Dean wouldn't have let this man manipulate him in such a way. Dean would've fought, and fought, and fought at every opportunity.
Castiel stuck his hands out. Magnus smiled softly. He put the length of rope underneath Castiel's wrists, and then Castiel smacked his head against Magnus's as hard as he could. He heard a sickening crack noise. Castiel got to his feet, ignoring the fiery ache in his leg. It wouldn't matter, he told himself. Once he left the cell, his knee would heal, it was just a few moments of pain.
Castiel ran. Magnus whispered the forbidden spell, and Castiel felt it spike through his wings and grace. It was like being electrocuted. His body wanted to crumble and surrender.
But Castiel couldn't surrender. As he fell to his hands and knees, Castiel fought against the pain. He crawled on his elbows and one good knee, his poor one dragging behind him like a dead fish.
"Wait!" Magnus screamed. He said the forbidden spell again. Again Castiel felt it permeate to his grace and bones. He grounded his teeth together, nails scrapping against the cold concrete, and he kept moving.
"Angel, no!" Magnus cried. Magnus grabbed onto Castiel's ankle and tried to pull him back. Castiel kicked backwards, hitting something of Magnus's—Castiel personally hoped it was his nose—and he kept crawling.
He was so close. Castiel pulled himself along, inch by inch. So close, almost there, almost to freedom, to Dean.
Castiel got to the door and he pulled.
It was locked.
Magnus grabbed onto Castiel's ankle one more time and he squeezed. Castiel felt the rope wrap around his ankle and the binding spells were instant.
"Don't you see?" Magnus said, pushing his weight onto Castiel's bad knee. "I'm doing this for your own good! I'm doing this to protect you!" Magnus was on his back now, pinning Castiel down onto the ground. Magnus grabbed at Castiel's arms and pulled them behind his back. Castiel fought, squirming like a worm, bucking and kicking underneath Magnus, but the rope around his ankle weakened him and his struggles did nothing to stop Magnus.
Magnus wrapped that piece of rope around Castiel's wrists, pulling tightly on the bindings. They ate into Castiel's skin; he could feel the circulation cutting off sluggishly.
Magnus was panting, his breath warm against the back of Castiel's neck. "I didn't want to do this," he said. "But you've not given me a choice. I have to protect you!"
"I'm not yours to protect!" Castiel spat. The ropes hurt, and he felt so incredibly helpless. Moments ago, he felt stronger than he had in years, felt like the angel he was.
He wasn't an angel.
An angel wouldn't have gotten captured in the first place.
An angel shouldn't be so easily contained, with paintings and ropes.
Magnus pushed himself off of Castiel and hooked his fingers into the rope around Castiel's wrist. He dragged Castiel across the floor. Castiel squirmed and kicked even more, throwing all his weight into each movement, but Magnus was undeterred. Castiel was dragged back to his corner, having acquired several scrapes along his face and neck from the ground.
"I'll be back," Magnus said. "I have to arrange the proper transportation. I doubt those hunters will come back after the scare Stevie gave them, but we can't be too careful now, can we?" Magnus dusted off his suit and stormed out of the cell, leaving behind his bag on the ground. Castiel still couldn't see what was inside it, but he knew it couldn't be good.
Castiel remained painfully silent as Magnus spoke and slammed the cell door. He hadn't heard any prayers from San and Dean for some time now, but he believed in the brothers. They would come back and rescue him.
Castiel just hoped it would be in time.