1 Freedom here I come!

-"There is no denying that there is evil in this world but the light will always conquer the darkness." Idowu Koyenikan, Wealth for All-

I stare at the cold ceiling; it reflected perfectly my sentiments towards this place… grey. I hated it, and I had been here for twelve years… well, prison doesn't grow on you. I was 100% sure that it wasn't all my fault, I was an assassin, I had done my job, and it was the people who had hired me, who were to blame. I grit my teeth, the big oaf lying next to me turned, I feel myself being squashed to the wall, I pray silently for help. By this time, I had given up on god and saviours. Prison was bad, but Mythological prison was hell. Mainly because it was in a parallel world, so chances of being rescued were slim, also the people in them weren't human. I was the ONLY human.

I ignore the outside conflict for pieces of food, but it was penetrating my self-distressed state, I also had to ignore the growing feeling of hunger. They weren't starving me, but I wasn't trying to feed myself, that required too much energy. The reason I didn't have much energy was that I was always fighting vampires off me, or other leeches who liked blood or human flesh.

RING. RING. RING.

Finally, the alarm for our daily preamble sounded, I wait for the oaf to wake up, the thing didn't even stir.

"Yo! Wake up!" I kick him, and instantly regret it as the heat slowly started to burn to let me know that I had, yet again, unintentionally, hurt myself.

I had to get used to the fact, that everyone here seemed to be made of iron, masqueraded with flesh. I feel my toes starting to swell. The oaf continues to sleep. I didn't want to get into trouble for not having a walk, also this was the only time I ever moved; I squeeze out from my niche, then I clamber over his body. Its putrefying decaying smell, hit me full force. Oh, great. Now I was going to smell of him.

Thanks, buddy. Not!

I quickly join the line for inspections.

I clear my thoughts, no one could ever even think about escaping, because of small devices embed into the nape of our neck. And guards were stationed too close together; I had heard that all prisons were managed by Hades. I actually have no idea who he is. Hades was the king of the underworld, who worked alongside Zeus - again, I have never met these people- to maintain the justice system because of the Royal family of the Mythological world are in cahoots with these 'gods'. I had learnt all this in a presentation given to me when I had first come. I guess it was nice of them to explain to me where I was; it gave a false sense of hope in a way. Because if you know where you are, you are supposed to be able to escape, technically, realistically…. It was supposed to spell out the high probability of never being rescued or escaping.

From the walls, figures peeled themselves off the walls to reveal shapes and more soul destroying creatures than harpies appeared: in other words our guards. They walk up and down several times. One abruptly stops in front of me; everyone around me took one step back isolating themselves from me.

I had committed the biggest crime; apparently, no criminal in the Mythological world would ever consider killing a member of the Royal family (for scary creatures they were very wussy in that regards). It was blasphemy apparently, and some faithful devotees to the Royals had committed major crimes to get in and kill me, and even the guards tried to kill me every now and then: by sucking my soul from any hope I could possibly have. I don't flinch, I stare into their bottomless black eyes, that was all the features they possessed on their faces, they had a jagged line which was above their so-called eyes. Before the blow could land on me, something grabs me and yanks me.

Black tendrils of something forced me to lean all the way back. And were it not for the fact I kept myself fighting fit, this posture would have snapped any human in half. But I was trained in many forms of flexible martial arts. Everyone and everything freezes, time seemed to have stopped. I looked down to see black tar-like substance melt away from holding onto my ankles, the tendrils holding my wrists cease and I land on my back as puzzled as everyone else, I also refuse to let my hopes get up, this could just be another attempted murder on me. But it felt different this time.

Whispers start to echo around the room, increasing in volume: is that Hades? Who got in? Who was it? But I was frozen in fear, now I was classified as a threat so in their minds (the guards) I had to be isolated. And isolation was worse than sharing a cell, it was further underground and the people who were isolated were never seen of again.

Help! Fuck me!

The grey cement started turning black, it slid down the walls and covered the guards, our orange jumpsuits stayed squeaky clean. Okay, I had to admit, if I was going to die in any way; this flashy magic was a great way to go. The guards were slowly being covered in the same black tar-like substance, the substance restricted their movements completely. Then amidst all the black, someone rose from the ground. She wore a pinstriped suit, with an overcoat and a walking stick and a wide-brimmed hat. She also wore sunglasses and a black scarf. It was all black and all I could ask myself was whether or not she was hot, because this place was as hot as the sun. I mean, for goodness sake, this was hell. Literal fire sometimes rained down from the sky, as an everyday weather forecast. This thing was wrapped up as if it was the north pole in here.

I notice that the thing had a very feminine form, curved and bodacious in areas that should be illegal... I almost felt like licking my lips. But I refrained as it was such a creepy thing to do.

"So? –she a strikes a match on the bottom of her shoe then produces a cigarette out from her breast pocket, then she moves the scarf to one side and places it (the cigarette) in between her lips- are you coming?" Then she exhales the smoke, it was almost too surreal.

Was she used to breaking people out of super- secret hideaway prisons in other dimensions or was this a hobby? I stare; my eyes were probably conveying my complete and utter amazement.

"Can I?" I ask, slowly standing up. The sudden pain that shot through me reminded me of my less than healthy condition, but I didn't care if I didn't escape as a whole. I just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

"Well, it's this or being isolated. It's your choice. Hurry up though, my cook told me off last time for being late for dinner."

I didn't need to be asked twice. I scramble to my feet and walk (limp) towards her.

"Sorry about that." She says in an offhand tone. She even waves a hand at me but doesn't spare me a glance. I look down and blanch, my ankles were twisted, one more than the other.

"You were standing a bit too rigid." She sounded almost like she was accusing me!

Oh, so it was my fault!

I manage to limp close enough to her for her to catch me before I pass out.

I awoke in a cave, I was propped up against something hairy and it was breathing. I hold my breath, my eyes were trained on the mysterious woman, as she crouched by a blazing fire, it was the only thing that broke the darkness of the cave. I noticed I no longer had the metal embedded in my skin.

"It's called neuron-tracker." She says.

I jump; her voice was very quiet it contrasted sharply with her suggested personality.

"Never judge a book by its cover. None of your elders ever taught you that?" She resumed stocking the fire, I realise there was food strewn across the sandy floor.

"You're not very smart for someone who killed the princess." She says in what I was starting to understand was her usual tone, bored.

I freeze.

I should've realised there was a catch! She was going to kill me! I panic, the girl was equipped with nothing, and I was human so even if I did try to physically attack her, I doubt I would land any hits on her.

Plus, she had that black thing, which I assumed was her power. Maybe she was one of the devoted followers of the Royals, maybe she even was a Protector… oh, god. Good going, walk out of prison and into another a death chamber.

"You didn't walk out. I had to carry you." I stare in awe at the girl. Was she reading my mind? That was an evasion of privacy. Though I doubt she cared, she continued probing the fire. I gingerly touch my neck, where there should've been a massive hideous scar; my fingers meet flawless non-stitched perfect skin. I stare at her surprised; I tried to stand but ended up supporting myself against the soft and hairy 'wall'. Why is she staring at me like that? She wasn't directly looking at me, moreover me. I look up and realise that whatever I was touching wasn't the cave's wall, and it was very much alive. I scream shooting away from it.

The girl points at the fire and it becomes pitch black. I hated the dark.

"Thanks for screaming, no secret hideaway is a secret hideaway if everyone knows where it is!" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm; I tried to walk towards her, I walked by extending my arms and waving them around erratically, despite this I ended up walking into another soft, hairy flesh thing.

"Sorry. What is this?" I hiss, I finally find something else to lean against, this was firm and… scaley?.

"Probably a giant." She was unperturbed by this, instead, her attention was directed at something I couldn't hear. Little 'ole human me, at a disadvantage again because of my limited capabilities and abilities in general.

Several moments passed where the girl and I stood in silence, I wasn't even trying to aid her in any way. What use was a human compared to her?

"And you're leaning against a dragon by the way." She adds conversationally, my blood freezes for the second time having been with her for only ten minutes.

75 minutes and counting, I jump; her voice had penetrated my mind.

Also, she was annoying, she kept invading my privacy, first she was reading my thoughts, now she was speaking into my mind. I would've told her off but I was freaking out about the dragon behind me. Also, that was longer than an hour, I had been unconscious for that long?

"Can you fight?" She asks casually, rolling up the sleeves to her overcoat, blazer, and blouse- did she feel the cold I wondered, did she want to add any more clothes, I asked myself sarcastically knowing she could hear me? She ignores the comment and looks at me pointedly.

"Umm… I'm injured." I remind her, I was glad for once; the dark shielded me from whatever burning look of disapproval she was giving me.

"Get on its back then invalid." I frown. Who? What?

"The Dragon. Imbecile. Jeez, I repeat: for someone who got passed the tightest security to kill the princess you're not very bright. Sounds like you had help, and the smarter of the two got away. Am I right?" I didn't answer, I didn't want her to think I was too weak to fight her, I still had no idea what her intentions were, for all I knew and cared she could be planning to kill me later and was only taunting me for her own pleasure and amusement.

I fumble through the darkness, unsure how real dragons were structured, also at where I was standing in relation to its body. Pushing aside my fear of Mythological animals in general, because apparently having Myths like vampires and werewolves being real wasn't terrifying enough, the creatures had to be true as well, goodness knows what else!!

"Are you scared of your own shadow by any chance?" The girl was enjoying my discomfort way too much, I made a mental note: revenge: for all the mean things she's saying.

My ears finally pick up the disturbance she had been listening to fifteen minutes before. I wasn't counting. thirty minutes actually she corrects me, not in a gleeful or spiteful way, just as if she couldn't control it. And she was prying in my personal area again. I hear the sound of clanking, I realise it was coming from her. Seriously?! And she had been the one to scold me for being too loud!

"Shh." I hiss loudly.

"Oh, Shh yourself. Everyone can hear us now." She spoke at regular volume, I tried to whisper meanwhile a rectangle flame flares from nowhere, painfully breaking up the darkness. I squint.

She seemed to be standing on the dragon's tail, and I had been leaning on one of its hind legs, without warning one of the shadow things grab me by my broken ankles and toss me onto the back of the dragon, and before I could land impaled on one of its spikes another two shadows grab my arms catching me in the air and then lowering me onto its back in between the spikes. I would have liked to protest about being thrown around like a ball, but the way the girl did her magic wasn't like anyone else I had seen. So far everyone I had met had to always pay attention to what they were doing to get such a flawless result, even the people that were considered masters of their field. Of course, it could be the fact that maybe criminals were bad at magic in comparison to her, but I doubted it. I felt like even for a Mythical creature she went above and beyond the usual superhuman level.

As the shadows threw me around, she in the meanwhile had hopped from the dragon's tail scales to it's back.

"Hold on." I hear her mutter; though I think she was actually talking to the dragon and not to me. She applies the burning blade on to the dragon's scales, and to my horror he/she/it/thing… caught fire!!! I wait for my body to be cooked; instead, I was just warm, and we were flying now. Another thing to note down was how her magic wasn't a) specialised, b) it didn't tire her in any way at all. Hmmm… I wonder what she was. As we took to the air her clothes billowed out, and I noticed that her overcoat had many weapons stored in its lining. She had three swords, and a numerous selection of knives.

This girl obviously didn't cheat her way through life or death (guns were a form of cheating in fighters 'manuals'), plus they had not much effect on the Myths as it was, anything would die if you stabbed it enough times, realistically.

It didn't take long for her to formulate a plan and set it in motion, I had to hand it to her: she was good at last minute decisions. Though, the way she got things done, was very ruthless and… not nice. She selects a knife stored in a compartment of her shoes and aims it below us before throwing it, during its rapid descent the tip suddenly caught fire and when it hit its target it set fire to what I had thought was a cave, I now could see the crouching form of a massive man. Well, that was unexpected. I had already learnt that many human myths of the Mythical Creatures were wrong and probably misunderstandings, but giants were massive. I had just assumed they would be violent and belligerent creatures, apparently not.

The soul-sucking guards were under us, however, she had done something to hide us from their view so they were gormlessly looking around, hahaha they looked soo dumb. The moment the cave/giant screamed in pain, was the moment they formulated their own plan. And I could tell she knows what it was, as suddenly she started preparing as well.

"Hold on tight." Again, she wasn't speaking to me; she spoke as if the dragon could understand, but just in case, and to convince myself that dragons couldn't understand speech, I gripped the spike in front of me with all my human strength possible. The giant slowly stood up, the cavern we had previously been in crumbled as the sleeping giant woke up.

"How long has it been sleeping?" I ask her out of curiosity.

"A thousand, or two, years. Who knows? But vegetation does tend to grow on it and animals even live in them. Now hold on tight, I removed the clocking spell!"

"Why would you do that?" I yelled over the screams of the giant, she probably could hear me even if I had whispered, but I couldn't hear myself think.

"Now princess, I can't leave without causing a scene… that's just not me darling. Now sit tight and let the adults sort this out."

So the cave was the giant? And not, the giant lived in a cave? Figures, how could anything that big find a cave to fit into. The dragon lurched upwards, I slide back slightly, the shadows suddenly wrap around me tightly, keeping me in place. The grey guards tried to use the giant as leverage as well, they climbed up its legs. I watched as the girl pointed downwards and a stream of darkness hit them. They lost their footing and fell off. We wove up and around the giants' legs, climbing higher and higher.

Guards were catching up, they too had dragons… strange… and they looked very angry, which was hard to decipher what with their limited features and maybe inability to express any form of emotion.

The girl extinguishes the fire on her sword, she pulls out a second sword then she joins them up at the hilt and yanks them forcefully apart. The end product was a double-sided baton-like blade joined together by a long chain. She wrapped the chain around her main torso, and then she wrapped one around her forearms and started spinning. It swung over her head in large loose circles, I felt sick watching the devastation. Anyone who was too close had their heads or anything else sliced off. And the surge of wind she created gave the dragon more speed. The dragon rose perfectly and flew through all the chaos as if it was a regular occurrence.

Outside, I realised there was no sun. I look down and see a maze of buildings, there was a permanent fog and a smell clung to the air: rancid and foul. How she was breathing it in without throwing up was past me… maybe she was one of those Creatures who didn't need to breath or who had no sense of smell.

"That's not good 'ole O2 you're breathing in." The girl decides to randomly inform me.

"Really, then what is it?"

"Fumes." I frown.

"Of what?"

"Rotting flesh." I lose focus and let go of the spike, I started to fall.

I was terrified…, something cinches at my waist. I was hanging off the dragon with her sword-batons keeping me from falling… I didn't feel very safe. Or at all safe for that matter.

"You get scared easily." She says calmly.

"Well, excuse me for being jumpy. I haven't had a proper meal in years. Nor have I rested well in years…"

"You ate not long ago." She mutters so quietly that my hearing struggles to hear anything

I swear I heard her say something like that.

"What?" I ask.

She suddenly shakes her head but says nothing to contradict what I believed to have heard.

I look up ahead and scream. I hear her swear, not in English though. Okay, every little bit of information about her was vital. Also because I couldn't see her features, or understand why she spoke with no tone; therefore I was having trouble deciding whether she was a friend or foe.

More guards had magically appeared.

"You should be flattered they're going through a lot of trouble to get you back. If I was in your shoes I would be over the moon!" She says humourlessly.

I scream as I nearly get sliced, how was she joking at such a time?!

"Why can't we go somewhere else?"

"Can't, the exit is only there, see the vortex behind them. The gaping vagina-like hole, yeh, that's the only way in and out. Hell doesn't have an easy access door which people can just pop in and out of. It's hard to get here and out" God, her language was something else.

"Oh, and catch." She throws a sword at me; I catch it clumsily wondering what use it was to me. I feel her start to spin me, she starts to SPIN ME, she was obviously very strong, but then that was a common trait for in Mythological Creatures, and I quickly extend my arm and squeeze my eyes shut. I hear the ringing sound of the sword doing its deed. As an assassin, I had got used to the sight of blood, but after twelve years in a Mythological prison, it was just boring. And this woke me up, it reminded me that blood normally meant someone dying or injured, not 'feeding time'.

Then I felt like the air weighed. I peeked, and scream again. Everyone had frozen in mind action while we floated past them. I was yanked back forcefully, and again the shadows helped to secure me in between the spikes.

Up ahead, the portal- vortex thing approached us. I breathe a sigh of relief. Finally.

I had never dared to imagine what I would do if this day were to happen, would I plan for a better future. No. I had no degree in anything apart from killing people. Would I return to the human world? No, I would find it too slow and boring. Would I attempt to hunt down my last employer to get revenge? Yes.

But, here I was. An arm throw away from freedom. This girl, whoever she was, had freed me. For her own gain? Probably. Would she though, keep me out of jail or send me back when she was done with me? Who knew? I just knew I was close to free, the closest I had gotten to in twelve years and I was very happy.

I was thrown into the vortex, to my utter surprise. I think she might've have asked me my permission, but I had been too lost in thought. Although, it was unfair how she built a rainbow bridge and walked over it with no cares in the world for herself, why couldn't she have done that sooner? She waves at the dragon, then steps into the portal and we both get sucked into a too small tube. We get transported away from the horrible place.

FREEDOM, HERE I COME!