Dark Knight of the Skye by Robin Renee Ray

long story, an Ah hae tae be aff.”
    Danny stepped over to the morticians sink and washed his hands. He looked over at the man who was turning a little pale, and decided to keep the unexplainable to himself. He reached over for a paper towel, and the mortician dropped like a rock. Danny looked down, shaking his head. He stepped over the unconscious man and headed up the steps to the main floor of the funeral home. He walked in the first room and turned on the light, finding a room filled with flowers of just about every type and one silver coffin, right in the middle of the far back wall. Out of pure curiosity, he stepped up and opened the lid.
    “Yer a wee bit of bonnie comparing ye to me last look-see.”
    He closed the lid, snickering at his own statement as he walked out, deciding to go up to the second story, where he figured he would have better luck finding at least a clean shirt. He was halfway up the stairs when he heard a woman humming a tune he didn’t know, but found pleasure in. It had reminded him of the way his mother used to hum when she was doing chores around the house, only this was not his Mum, nor was this his house. He was about to turn and go back down the stairs when he heard the sound of water splashing, stopping him and changing his mind altogether.
    He used the gifts that came with the enormous change to glide across the hallway. He listened at the door that was slightly ajar to make sure the woman was still in the tub. He looked across the room and saw another bedroom and with silent speed, disappeared inside, closing the door behind him. He found what he was looking for in the closet and started taking off his stiff saturated coat, dropping it to the floor. As he was unbuttoning his shirt, the woman walked in with towel wrapped around the center of her body.
    Her gray curls trembled as her mouth dropped open to make a possible cry for help, only giving an inaudible gargle. The closer he got, the tighter she held the towel, until he towered over her short plump form. He gazed down in her eyes and immediately she began to relax. He placed his fingers to his mouth and gently eased out, “Shhh…” touching the side of her hair. Her body leaned back on the door facing and her face went blank of all emotion, as if he had wiped away not only her fears in that one touch, but any thought she might have had at all. He ripped the shirt open he was wearing and threw it across the room. He reached in the closet, pulling out a white button up and a black suit jacket, then dashed out of the room, down the stairs and out the front door.
    * * *
    D`nae searched every room, finding nothing in the way of escape, but she did find a refrigerator that had bottled water and some fresh fruit inside. It wasn’t much, only one orange and handful of grapes, and she figured it must have been the snack for one of Alasdair’s daytime helpers. She took the fruit and all the water she could carry, quickly making her way back to Tabitha. When she pushed the door open, Tabitha was crouched close to the back of the bars. When she saw D`nae, she moved to the bars, shaking her head.
    “I cannot believe you came back.”
    “If I say it, then I mean it,” she smiled, handing her the fresh cold bottled water. “I didn’t find us a way out, not yet. I don’t know what we’re going to do, but I won’t stop until we get out.”
    “I will fight at your side, even to my death,” Tabitha replied reaching out, taking D`nae’s arm. “You have given me something that I haven’t had since I was a little girl.”
    “I don’t understand?”
    “You have showed me compassion in your eyes. My mother was the last to give me that gift.”
    “Oh honey, you’re gonna make me cry,” she said, reaching in and pulling Tabitha in a hug.
    Tabitha froze momentarily, then slowly put her arm through the bars and delicately laid them across D`nae’s back. Both women cried, D`nae because her heart broke for the woman who had been treated