Finn and Kyle
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Finn wondered if one of her strange abilities had hurt him in some way that 
she had not yet discovered.  She tried to gloss over the sudden tenseness by
speaking to Wes.
"Bar-keep, I'd like a room for the day," she said in a rich, deep voice
which, to Kyle, dripped with passion.

Finn could see the boy, still frozen, out of the corner of her eye, as the 
barman retrieved a key from under the counter.  He also seemed to be 
distressed by the youth's behavior.

"Aye, I have a room left," Wes said as he passed her the key from under the
counter.  "Last door on your left, upstairs." 

"Thank you," the olive-skinned woman said, "and be sure that I am not
disturbed all day."  Then she turned, and noticed the young man was still
staring at her, his mouth hanging open.

The thought plagued her mind that Melchor the wizard, her old enemy, might 
have sent evil in the form of this boy to plague her.  She had to know.  
She locked her gaze with the boy's startled eyes.

But, instead of malice, Finn Saw the absence of it.  The feeling was
refreshing, like the summer breeze that she remembered from long ago. 
There was no ill intent in the boy, but there was something else, something
that made her curious.

Kyle could feel his heart pounding in his chest.  'Say something!' his mind 
screamed at him. 

"Umm.  Uh.  'Lo.  I-I'm Kyle," he managed to stammer out.  Then, feeling
ennobled by his effort, added, "At your service," with a little bow.

Kyle.  That was the name of this perfectly ordinary, yet intriguing youth.

The barman seemed to see something was going on, tried to intervene.

"Hang on a second, son.  A boy like you should be home now, with his
parents.  Not yakking with strangers."

Kyle grew red at the barman's words.
"I am not a boy!" Kyle gritted, under his breath.  He could already feel his
cheeks turn crimson with embarrassment.  "I'll have seen seventeen Harvest
Moons this cycle."  The blush spread over his face and neck as he tried
desperately to stay his embarrassment.  But the more he tried, the more he
could not stop the blood from flowing to his face and neck.

The crimson flush in his face finally clicked in Finn's mind.
One of Finn's talents had affected him, but it was not hurtful.

Entranced! she thought suddenly.  Of course!  It had been a while since
that talent had kicked in.  But why with this youth Kyle?  Certainly, Finn
looked physically no older than twenty, so that might have something to do
with it.  But what to do?  Finn made some of her mind up, glancing again at
Kyle's red face and sheepish, wondering looks.

To Kyle, it seemed that the woman was briefly smiling at him.  However, before
he could be sure of that, the smile disappeared.

"Why, barkeep," she said, her voice carrying tones of reproach, laying a
hand on Kyle's shoulder, "Don't you have the wisdom to know that one's real
self is not measured in years?"

Kyle seemed to be stunned again, but the barman was not smiling.  A quick
look at him told Finn that he was being protective of the boy, and that he
saw her as a threat to his innocent mind.  If only he knew how wrong he
was.

Finn took her hand off of Kyle's shoulder and sighed.  She wondered who
she was trying to fool into believing that a creature like her could
possibly feel companionship with a mortal.

"Just leave me alone for the day," she told the barman, "And keep some tea
on for tomorrow night, please," she added to soften the bitterness in her
voice.

Key in hand, Finn glanced at her two friends at their table, their eyes
and ears taking in all that had occurred.  Kyle was still watching her, an
unreadable expression on his face.  Finn looked away and mounted the stairs
to her lair for the day.

Just then, a boy a few years younger, came into the pub.  "Kyle, come on!.  
I'm hungry, let's go home!"  The boy tried not to look at any of the patrons 
at the bar.  His mother had given him stern instructions.  He concentrated 
on Kyle and Wes.

Damned younger brothers! Kyle thought.  "Come on, lets go."  He took his
younger brother by the hand and led him out of the pub.  But he could not wipe
the smile off his face.  What had started out as a dismal day---getting up 
well before dawn to load and unload ten cord of wood---was turning out to
be great!

"Bye, Wes," Kyle called out behind him.

"Bye, Kyle," Wes replied, a worried expression on his face.

On his way home, Kyle thought of a number of possible excuses he could use
to be sure he would return to the Cloven Shield that night.  He just had to
see that mysterious woman again.

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Next Time :
Some plans are made...
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