Chapter Two: Kyla
The bright spotlight made it hard to see clearly, but Kyla couldn’t miss the fact her voice didn’t seem to charm the man Tomas had pointed out earlier. The puzzle intrigued her more than the man did himself. He was attractive enough, but nondescript. She probably wouldn’t have noticed him for his looks alone.
He had short hair, like the men in the military always seemed to favor. Too short to grab, but long enough to pad a helmet or keep the sun from burning their scalp. The image of a Roman Centurion she’d once known flashed through her mind, but she couldn’t recall any details about him other than his short brown hair. He was just one of thousands of people she’d known over her long existence.
Kyla only remembered the most recent past clearly, but it never bothered her. She lived in an eternal now that had no beginning or end. Her most distant memories was of a time when only plants covered the land and the sea had been filled with life. After that she could recall awesome creatures that dominated the land and sea until a bright light came from the sky and ushered in decades of darkness.
But that was all long before humans came to be. They were just another kind of animal until she noticed them making interesting things. That drew her away from her watery home to take their form so she could pass among them unnoticed. This allowed her to learn their languages and songs. And that was when she discovered she could charm them into doing anything he wanted. Life became much more interesting after that.
She focused her attention on the man in the corner as she sang the love song, but he remained a blank spot in her mind. It was like he wasn’t there at all to her deeper senses and that puzzled her. She may have encountered others like him in the past, but couldn’t recall them now. It didn’t matter, he was right over there and he fascinated her.
After singing a few more songs, she got up and smiled warmly at the loud praise of the crowd around her. On the whole, she enjoyed spending time with humans. They provided an endless diversion for her.
Although she didn’t need to eat, she loved the flavors and scents of their food. And while she couldn’t reproduce like they did, she enjoyed being intimate with them. The ones who fascinated her the most were the hardest ones to understand. When they gave her their water, even through a simple kiss, it opened them to her understanding and, ultimately, her control.
She felt compelled to solve the puzzle of the man in the corner and hoped that his water would provide the answer. But since she couldn’t compel him, she would have to entice him into giving her a taste. The man watched her walking up with a wide grin and a shark’s eye, but she feared no predator because she could not die.
“Join me?” he asked as she walked up.
“I’m Kyla,” she said as she sat down opposite him and leaned her guitar against the table.
“I’m Veto.” He kept his eyes on hers rather than examining her form the way most men would. “May I buy you a beer?”
“Yes, please.” Kyla was close enough to catch his scent. It was redolent of oil and smoke, reminding her of the machines they all used. Beneath that was the salty tang of blood, but it was not his own.
Veto waved over the old bartender who frowned at Kyla as he approached, likely for her poor choice of company. “Two more, please,” he said.
Kyla gave her old friend a reassuring smile and nodded for him to bring the beers. When he went back to the bar, she returned her attention to the man at the table. He exuded confidence and control, not fidgeting under her cool scrutiny. She noticed he never seemed to blink, holding her gaze without looking away.
“You have a lovely voice.” His own voice was carefully modulated. Usually humans provided a vocal subtext that she could read better than a lie detector. Veto gave nothing away of his true feelings.
“Thank you,” she said. “Are you in town for business or pleasure?”
“Why not both?” Again, his voice gave her no clue. It was maddening.
Old Mitch sat the beers down and walked away without a word. Kyla could feel Mitch’s unease like a bubbling spring pushing through otherwise solid earth.
“Why not,” Kyla agreed and raised her bottle. “To pleasure.”
“And business.” Veto said as he tapped the neck of his bottle to hers.
“So what is your business?” Kyla asked, pushing hard on his impenetrable shell with her mind. If she could find an opening somewhere, she could get him talking and figure him out.
“Contract services,” he said without blinking. Kyla felt something quiver in him. Something moved in his darkness, like a writhing ball of eels, then it was gone. “And you play in a bar?”
“I do,” she said and took another sip of her beer.
The water in the beer carried memories of boiling heat. She could also taste the lives of the tiny creatures who were suspended in it. Beer wasn’t very interesting. The process to make it destroyed its long memory.
“Is that all you do?”
Kyla amused herself by imagining what would happen if she told him the truth. I’m an eternal water spirit that guards these waters and any creature who lives in or around them. If you’re a threat to those I protect, I’ll kill you.
Perhaps she should eliminate him just to be careful, but the need to understand his nature held her back. He could be some other kind of spirit, but he certainly wasn’t another elemental spirit. The Gnomes of the earth, Sylphs of the air, and Salamanders of the fire all felt different than her fellow Ondines, but none of them were so blank as this human.
“I’m also interested in protecting the environment,” she said.
He nodded. Relying on his expressions alone made her feel what she imagined a blind human would feel.
“An environmentalist, of course. You look the type.”
“The type?” she asked.
“I met a few hippies in the rain forests in South America. They were committed to their cause to their very end.”
“As am I,” she said. She finished her beer and grabbed her guitar by the neck. “Thanks for the beer and the company.”
“If you’d like some more company later, I’ll stick around,” he said with the same unwavering gaze and predatory smile.
Maybe if she could get him alone, she could tease out his secret. “I’d like that.”