Iron Maiden (Episode 1)

1

Episode One: Pawns and Puppets.2

The lamplight in old town was pale and dim. It managed to illuminate a few stragglers smoking on the street corner but hid much of the true nature of the city itself. All was mostly dark and quiet except for the steady beat of a street musician’s drum and the sharp cries emitting from the house of ill repute across the street from the cantinas. Senor Pavlo de Sota took another drag from his cigarette and watched the doors of the cantina intently. The lifeless butt dropped to the ground and he promptly stamped it out with his heel. In an instant another cigarette took its place, then another. Pavlo was on edge, and he always smoked far more when he was stressed then when he was placid. Another hour passed and still he hadn’t caught a glimpse of his comrade at all. Taking a rosary from his pocket Pavlo began to recite a hurried prayer that he had not spoken since his childhood. The words mangled together underneath his heavy breath and were unrecognizable to even him.3

But that was all he could do right now; because even prayer would not protect him if he went in the cantina in disregard of his earlier accord. “How did it come to this?” Pavlo whispered to himself. “Dios mío. How did brother end up turning against brother?” Another long hour passed and the embers of cigarette ash began to fade in the evening light. Finally Vasco emerged from the interior of the building and made his way towards the streetlight on the corner. He quietly motioned for Pavlo to come to him. Pavlo quickly moved from his hiding place in the bushes. “So what did Fernando say?” Vasco pulled a thin cigar from his coat pocket. “He wants to talk to you my friend.” Pavlo swore under his breath. 4

“He said that? We agreed that we would send you in to negotiate the deal, because the moment I see him I’m going to rip his skull from its mount!” 5

“Shhh!” Vasco hissed. “Quiet down amigó. Yes that was the deal, but I’m not the one he has the deal with; so your going to have to swallow that pride of yours and talk with this man.” Pavlo shook with rage, his fists clenched at his sides and his eyes washed with a venomous stare. 6

“Alright, but if he changes so much as one bit of our deal I will send him to hell with my own two hands.” Vasco placed his hand on Pavlo’s shoulder.7

“Before you go in there, give me your gun. Heaven help you if they catch you with it.” Reluctantly Pavlo reached around his back and promptly placed the ancient Spanish revolver in Vasco’s hands. 8

“Vía con Dios me amigo.” With that final salutation the old man marched swiftly towards the door of the cantina. His rage was greater than even he could sustain, however the love that had brought him her quieted the stormy seas of his heart. He would get her back, even if it cost him everything he had.9

Ω10

The inside of the Flora de la Diablo was filled with the acrid smell of stale alcohol and cheap cologne. Everywhere the eye could see there were drunken patrons and girls from the nearby brothel. Pavlo clutched his rosary next to his heart as he made his way to the small room in the back. “This must be the devils playground,” he thought. “for everywhere I look there is some form of sin.” The man behind the bar eyed him as he entered but continued to wipe the counter. Obviously he could tell that this frail old man was her for business and not pleasure. The man standing by the rear door also eyed Pavlo with interest.11

“Senor de Sota?” the man said. Pavlo looked up an slowly swallowed down the lump that had formed at the back of his throat. 12

“Si, I am de Sota. I have come to see Fernando regarding our business arrangement.” The man smiled eerily and gestured toward the door beside him.”13

“He is expecting you please go right in.” Pavlo thanked the man and walked into the tiny room. Sitting there behind the desk with a large cigar in his mouth and a smug look upon his pudgy face was Fernando de la Rosa. He looked rather powerful surrounded by walls of guns, lances, and swords; but in his heart Pavlo knew that Fernando was a coward two sizes shorter than an average man. He would not be intimidated by this man.14

“Pavlo de Sota, my old friend; please sit down. Can I offer you something to drink? A cigar? Or perhaps something a little stronger?” Pavlo met Fernando’s feigned hospitality with an icy stare.15

“Do not deceive yourself, we are not friends!” he spat. Fernando’s smile immediately faded and a he allowed a small frown to penetrate his otherwise calm demeanor.16

“A simple formality, I do not want to be considered a bad host. I will make sure not to do so again, as I have no intention of seeing you ever again. Now as to our deal, do you have the money?” Pavlo dropped a small pouch of coins onto the table. Fernando immediately snatched it up greedily and peered into the bag intently. “This is not nearly enough!” Pavlo reached back into his pocket and tossed a small brass watch onto the table.17

“That should cover the rest. It was my fathers and it will fetch a handsome price.”18

“I am not a pawn shop! This is not the agreement we had, and I don’t have much tolerance for old fools like you!”19

“That is all I have Fernando, besides our agreement was never to have it all in cash. I could have given you bushels of wheat instead.” Pavlo’s tone was quiet yet stern and his eyes were set unflinchingly upon his enemy. “Now as for your part of the deal, you must give me back my daughter.”20

“You’re daughter is perfectly safe where she is. I’m sure she is happy acting as the whore she really is; I just hope the men of this city don’t damage her too badly. After all I still want a turn.”21

“You bastard you promised!” Pavlo lurched from his seat but was stopped short as a bullet burst through his leg. He hit the ground and rolled over in time to see Vasco standing over him with the revolver pointed at his head.22

“I promised that I would not harm you or your family by my hand. But I can not guarantee that others would be as courteous. Fortunately Vasco here came cheap, he just wanted to be the first to break that lovely daughter of yours.”23

“Vasco!” Pavlo shouted. “For your betrayal divine retribution shall surely come upon you!”24

“Via con Dios me amigo.” A second gunshot echoed through the cantina, and then another. When the smoke cleared, Pavlo lay dead upon the floor, his rosary covered in his own blood. 25

Ω26

Fernando lit another cigar and reached for a crystal decanter filled with his favorite liquor. He poured himself a glass and then refilled Vasco’s. “Very good work my new friend. With Pavlo out of the way and his daughter reduced to a lowly whore I’m sure my associates in the priesthood shall have no problem with forfeiting his lands to me.”27

“That fool actually thought that I was here to help him in his plight; so trusting, that was truly his only weakness.” Vasco took a sip from his glass before continuing. “I do however have an appointment to keep with his daughter so if you will excuse me I must depart.”28

“Have fun, and enjoy. After all you did earn it.” Fernando chuckled as Vasco exited the room. “Such fools are so easy to manipulate.” He muttered to himself. He took another sip from his glass and then another. Fernando had suddenly become uneasy. There was something in Pavlo’s last words that made him feel that way. Devine retribution? No, with all the friends he had in the priesthood he was sure that the wrath of the almighty would not come upon him.29

Still he didn’t feel at ease. “Perhaps I will tell my sin in confession tomorrow; that should clear me of any wrong doing.” He couldn’t help but laugh at himself for acting so foolish. There was no way that he, the most powerful man in southern Spain could be killed by some act of supposed justice. His gaze panned to the ceiling and he cackled manically.30

Suddenly a commotion could be heard outside. Fernando was quite adamant about not being disturbed and he quickly stepped out to see what had happened. The scene before him was quite out of the ordinary. The music had stopped, the drinking had ceased, and one of the girls was lying on the ground shaking in freight. “What in the hell happened?” Fernando asked.31

The girl held out a trembling finger towards the figure standing in the middle of the room. The man in question was very tall and thin with long black hair that hid his eyes and a pair of thin, black leather gloves that covered his hands. His body was also covered in black from head to toe; a thick, black coat covered his chest and led down to a pair of black trousers. His shoes were covered in mud but were also ebony in color and cradled in his arms was the ugliest wooden manikin that Fernando had ever seen. 32

It had no face and was made of a dark maple that was not native to the Spanish mainland. It was about five feet tall and had clawed fingers. The only other thing that immediately caught Fernando’s attention was the mop of jade hair atop its “head”. “What happened?” Fernando shouted.33

“That thing just turned and touched me!” the girl on the floor screamed. To Fernando’s surprise the manikin began to move of its own volition, shaking its fist violently. The man in black clasped it close and caressed its hair.34

“Now let’s be fair. Clarice just wanted to give you a hug. Isn’t that right Clarice?” The manikin nodded it’s head. “Now why don’t you go over and cheer her up.”35

“No!” The woman screamed. “You keep that monster away from me.”36

“That was hardly the thing to say sweet lady; now you’ve gone and hurt my lovely Clarice.” He bent down and gently kissed Clarice on the forehead. “Don’t worry Clarice I don’t think you’re a monster; remember that I love you. Now run along and play now, daddy has some things he has to do.” The man let go of the manikin and it trotted over to the woman on the floor. It stared at her for a moment before gently caressing her face. Then when the woman had relaxed a bit the manikin moved to her lips and traced its curious finger over them.37

“What do you want here?” Fernando demanded. The man slowly crossed the room to where only a foot separated them. 38

“I came to return something to you.” The man reached behind his back and pulled out the severed head of a very shocked looking Vasco. “You should learn to take better care of your things.”39

“Who are you?” The man held up his hand and made a simple motion like a pianist striking a key. Instantly the demeanor of the manikin changed and it grasped the woman by the throat. “Stop that! You’re killing her!” Fernando was now visibly shaken and his voice quavered with every word.40

“Do you mean that you want me to end her suffering? Is that what your saying?”41

“Yes, now stop it at once!” The man made another gesture and the manikin loosened its grasp. The woman had only a second to catch her breath before the puppet shoved its hand through her neck. There were a few, blood laden gasps and sputters, and then complete silence. “What have you done?”42

“I simply followed your instructions.” The man replied. “I ended her suffering; for to live is to suffer, and to die is to embrace eternal peace. I am Pietro, The Puppet Master and I am always looking for new pawns to add to my collection. You my friend will make a nice addition to my collection.” Fernando reached for the gun located on his waist, only to find that his hand was unable to move. Looking closer he could see a handful of thin almost invisible wires wrapped around his hand. “Tsk tsk. Is that anyway to treat a guest? I guess I will have to teach you some manners little man.” The Puppet Master flicked his wrist and the wires began to tighten. A second later Fernando was engulfed in a wave of pain as the wires cut through his hand bone and all. The ribbons of flesh remained attached for a second before falling to the floor.43

“Please, don’t kill me.” Fernando pleaded. “I’ll give you anything you want.” The stranger smiled malevolently.44

“I have no use for money or petty trinkets; what I want is far simpler than that. I want to collect the most powerful souls and then I can put on the greatest puppet show the world has ever seen! I want to watch as the world crumbles before my power!” Fernando had no time to react or run. Within moments the cords of the vile master were around his throat, and a few seconds later all was black. 45

Next Episode: Episode 2- The Birth of the Valkarie46

"If you want to save all you hold dear you will offer all of your blood to the Iron Maiden."47

See you next time.