“Patience, it’s almost time,” said Anax.

Cloudy tendrils prodded the girl awake. She blinked her eyes open and lifted her head. The room was brightly washed with strong morning light. They had slept in past their normal waking hours. To her left, Iasis’ orbs were slowly rolling into motion. Patience sat up. Valon looked so peaceful, imbibing a sleep free from fits and other troubles he might have suffered. She hesitated before shaking the man’s shoulders.

Valon stirred awake. “Is Iasis ready?” he asked.

“Not quite. Younger ones normally have a more difficult time coming back to their senses. But she will come around soon,” explained Anax.

Without a word, Valon got up to dress. Patience followed suit, escaping to the hallway.

“Iasis will return to form, right?” asked Patience as she unlocked her room door.

“Naturally. Do you not believe me?”

“I do … I just suppose Valon and I both are feeling a bit impatient.”

She dressed and abandoned her room again. It was a shame Valon had spent money on a room she now barely used. The girl washed the sleep from her eyes and visited the restroom before heading back to the hunter.

Patience found Valon sitting in the armchair, pensively admiring the view with the curtains drawn completely open. The maid had visited and, from the look of things, quickly left after making the bed. The girl pulled a chair from the table, keeping a few feet away from Valon.

Iasis’ eyes finally unfroze. The agony of waiting was over. “V-Valon …” whimpered the smaller skull.

“We’re all here, Iasis,” said the man in a measured tone, “tell us what you’ve found.”

Iasis’ eyes rolled to watch Patience and Anax by the table. “This disease you have, it’s far too … embedded in your being for me to stop.”

Patience’s stomach fell through the floor.

“We can knit together bone and muscle, we can abate and eliminate infections, viruses, and parasites. But this … I cannot overcome. How do I say this? As quickly as I can stabilize them, more of your cells die off or come out wrong.”

“Like trying to bail water out of a sinking canoe,” Anax uttered.

“Yes,” said Iasis. She reached a tendril to Valon’s cheek. “The most I can do for you is end the tremors. But you will still wither away with this disease.”

Silence.

Valon kept his gaze on the view past the window. The city, brimming with vivacity, was a simple vignette framed by emerald curtains. Life went on outside, ignorant to the disquiet in this box of a room.

“How long until my death?” he asked.

Iasis quibbled, “You’re fortunate you’ve stayed in such good shape and live healthily—”

“How long?” he repeated.

Iasis held a pause too long for comfort. “A few years, but I can’t say the same for your mental faculties.”

“When?”

“It is uncertain. Your mind may decline near the very end, or in a year.”

Patience instinctually sat up, ready to console the man. She expected him to be completely devastated, to fly into a fit of rage or break down upon the floor. But when she glimpsed his face, it was calm. He was smiling. Ever full of surprises, Valon sat relaxed in the armchair. The girl then did not expect to find herself shedding the tears and exuding the grief meant to belong to the hunter.

It came with a wail born deep in her heart. The stream of sorrow released, an unending trickle of water brimmed from her eyes. There had always been a chance that Iasis could not cure him, much like how Anax could not regenerate her flesh damaged and lost in the fire. But still she had hoped. Patience did not anticipate Iasis’ words slicing into her so effectively. Valon was marked for an early death, and this confirmed it.

“I’m sorry,” choked Patience. Snuffling she crept toward the seated man. She rubbed at her eyes with her sleeve in a feeble attempt to salvage her composure. “I’m sorry all this was for nothing.”

“It wasn’t,” said Valon.

Turning around, his steel gaze touched upon hers. No longer did they hold an intense fire; there was only acceptance. She hovered over him, lips quivering.

“I’m sure Iasis will make me comfortable through the very end,” he whispered.

Patience shook, holding back a new rush of tears. Valon wrapped a hand over her hip and began stroking her side. She was not prepared to be consoled. All she could do was hunch over the man and hug his neck, tears cascading and dripping from her chin. Anax’s jaw clacked against Iasis’s skull as Patience rested her head on Valon. The two yaszaha remained in silent vigilance. They knew they could add nothing to this moment. It was between the humans alone.

The shadows crawled across the room before Patience’s sobs subsided. Valon had soothed her while she seated herself on the armrest. She had shed all the tears in her body and was now slumped against the man’s shoulder. Her lips were dry and her eyes tight. Valon rubbed her arm once more as she shuddered her last sob. Depleted, the girl wearily turned toward the bed. Climbing atop the coverlet, a deep sigh escaped her lungs. She was not even sure why she cried for this man she barely knew.

Death had once again touched Patience’s life, but she was lucky this time. Strong and focused, this stunning example of vitality would be her sole picture of Valon and how she would remember him. Spared from his deathbed, nothing else would mar that image.

The memories of her time together with Valon, however rocky, brought a small smile to her burning lips. She then accepted his fate, something Valon had done hours ago.

Anax extended a tiny tendril to pat her shoulder. Certain that she had calmed down, the skull grunted to speak. “Iasis, do you really want to go with him?”

“Yes,” she replied immediately, “Even if my second life will be short with Valon, I wish to live it.”

A thought wormed its way into Patience’s mind. She rubbed her face before shifting her head to peer at Valon in the armchair. “Valon … when the time comes for you to give up Iasis, would it be possible to arrange for her to be sent to my home? I can take care of her.”

“What? You’ll replace me with her?” Anax shrieked.

“No, you idiot,” snapped the girl, “I’ll make sure her skull isn’t destroyed! I could possibly even find a new life-donor for her …“

The voice surrounding Patience’s head fell silent.

Patience continued, “But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. Will you do that, Valon?”

Valon held still for a moment. “Would you like that, Iasis?”

“Yes. If it’s not too much trouble.”

“Then it will be so.”

A quiet moment hung in the air between them. All the emotions in the room had been exhausted and the souls bobbed in nothingness like a boat on a placid lake. Valon took a deep breath before rising and made his way to the door.

“Hungry? I’ll bring us back some food.” It was a statement rather than a true query as the man promptly left. The entire room seemed to exhale its stress when Valon opened the door. A new normalcy began to settle over them.

Patience reassured herself that Iasis was already caring for Valon’s body, and was prepared to meet future challenges. The new second-born was eager and helpful, despite her initial resistance. Valon was in good hands, better than her own. Patience lay on the bed listlessly, but at peace. Her emotions over Valon now mollified, she could stop fretting and focus on her own skull. The girl reflected on her time with Anax.

“Patience …”

“What? Will you tell me to forget about Valon?” the girl mumbled, curling up tighter. “Are you going to assert your dominance again?”

“I wanted to apologize.”

Patience lifted her head.

“After meeting Iasis … I realize …” Anax wheezed, “I could have been like her, sitting in a drawer somewhere. My first death could have been my one and only death.” He reached a tendril to the girl’s chin. “My second life is owed to you. I’ve borrowed so much from you: your knowledge, your skills, the fire of life itself … I really am nothing without you.”

Patience stiffened, not believing her ears.

“And you … you could have been like Valon, suffering from some disease I cannot conquer. Your life is precious. I’m sorry for ever hurting you … in any way.”

“Thank you, Anax,” Patience whispered.

“When you care for something so much, you want it all for yourself, but you end up pushing it away … or worse. I should have known the first time you put me back on … and all the other times you returned me to your crown.”

As bull-headed as the skull could be, he did have occasional moments of clarity. And as much as Patience could detest the skull, her ill will was temporary. She still cared for him. When he first came into her life, she thought him a beast. While this remained true, he was so much more. An ache pulled her heart. She could not help but love Anax.

“As I said before, nothing can break our bond,” said the girl, meaning every word.

“Henceforth, I will try harder to respect your wishes.”

“Trying.” The girl chuckled. “That’s all I ask.” She reached both hands to grasp Anax’s mandibles, blowing a puff of air up into his snout.

Patience tucked her arms against her chest and nestled into the bedding. Her tired eyes grew heavy. But before sleep overcame her, a thought crossed her mind.

“You know … it’s all right if you’re a bit rough with me when we …” She blushed.

“Y-you mean so?”

“Mhm.” She smiled. “Just be sure to let me enjoy my finish as well.” There was no denying the beast in Anax, but it could be trained.

When Valon returned with lunch, he found Patience bundled in Anax’s thick arms, napping on the bed. Patience stirred awake at the sound of the hunter’s heavy boots.

Valon grunted. “I see you two have made up. Don’t tell me you fucked on my bed.”

“We did not!” grumbled Patience as she sat up, Anax dissipating into a veil of mist. Valon chuckled as he set down an oyster pail and brown paper sack on the table. He popped open a bottle of lemonade that he had also bought. The succulent aroma of grease lured the girl over to join him.

“Valon, what did you mea—Oh, my!” Iasis squawked. Her eyes darted to the other pair in the room. “You two?”

“Yes,” groaned Patience, desperately wishing to change the subject. “We have, and we do.”

“Valon …” Iasis whimpered.

“Don’t worry. We will do no such thing,” he assured his skull. “It’s improper.” He shot a smirk at the girl as she scooted a chair up to the table.

“Can we please talk about something else?” Patience moaned, rolling her eyes. Valon did not retort that time.

“Did you enjoy seeing the outside?” Anax asked Iasis.

“Oh, yes! I saw lots of things! So many things!” she trilled. This distraction seemed to work. Iasis then proceeded to extensively list everything that managed to catch her attention during their brief excursion. While the two skulls chattered, the two humans saw to their meal.

Valon opened the wax-lined paper container, releasing the scent of fried oysters. Patience reached in to grab one and was pleased to find it was still warm. The man then emptied the sack of its contents. Two wrapped sausage rolls tumbled onto the wooden surface. It was not an opulent meal, but it was delicious.

After lunch Valon allowed Patience to return to his bed. All the events of the past few days finally bore down on her, and she could not help but find sleep as the only remedy. The hunter joined her, reclining at her side, his hands folded neatly over his belt. His head rested against the headboard, Iasis tapping the wood. The young skull fluffed the pillows supporting his back. Valon closed his eyes. Together Patience and Valon fell into a peaceful nap, cradled by Anax and Iasis.

“I miss them … my parents … my sister and brother …”

Patience roused, yet she did not move or open her eyes.

“The moment I died, I thought I was simply going unconscious from the pain. I thought I’d wake next to my family, safe, and healing with mud on my wounds.”

It was Iasis. It may have been rude, but Patience listened without letting them know she was awake. She did not want to interrupt.

“Is this a dream?” the smaller skull asked.

“It’s not, unfortunately,” came Anax’s voice. He spoke gently, in soothing tones that he had used with Patience before.

“I miss them,” she repeated.

“You did not wake alone,” said Valon. The sound of his callused hands running along Iasis’ snout reached the girl’s ears. “I will be with you until I die.”

Patience thought of her own parents. They had raised her to become her own person, to take care of herself. But like many parents with daughters, they kept her in a glass cloche. She could view the world from a safe and protected place, and the outside was rarely allowed to touch her. Her appearance made her particularly susceptible to cruelty, so they nullified those chances as best they could, to preserve her. It was only under her own will that she dared to break free. The young yaszaha was not so lucky. Fate stripped her away from her shelter, from her first life.

She felt sorry for Iasis. But she was glad the young skull had a life-donor as experienced as Valon. Patience hoped that he could guide her, much as she did with Anax. With Valon consoling the young skull, Patience took the opportunity to fully awaken.

“Valon,” Patience whispered.

He leaned toward her, resting on his elbow. “Yes?”

“How are you faring?”

“I already feel better,” he said, face softening.

Patience smiled sadly. “I hope I don’t find Iasis on my doorstep for many years yet.”

“I don’t plan on it.”

As the hours dragged into the evening, Patience left for her room. It had been a draining day. If Iasis was to bond with Valon, it was only right to allow them privacy. Iasis would come to know him in ways Patience never would. She was happy to know Valon could have at least one close confidant.

Patience dropped onto her bed. “What was I even doing with him? Did I really think something would come of it?”

“You acted out of physical attraction. Can’t help that,” Anax said. “He’s not a bad man.”

She sighed.

“Patience …”

“Hm?”

“I forgot how nice it was to be in the company of another of my kind.”

“I’m sorry you can’t find such company regularly,” she murmured.

“Not my point,” he said curtly but gently. “I’m beginning to accept your need to be with other humans …”

Patience’s mind immediately flashed to Schuler and felt a tug at her heart.

“You are social creatures after all.”

The words rolled around Patience’s ears like stones in a quarry. The idea that humans needed others to live, practical points aside, was sound. As suited to solitude as she was, she had to admit that she enjoyed Valon’s company, and of course cherished the familiarity she had with Schuler. Perhaps Anax was finally beginning to see that. Perhaps his grip around her was loosening. But something in that rumble led Patience to think Anax was not entirely convinced.

The next morning, Valon walked with Patience to the train depot to purchase her ticket home. Patience considered it odd he carried his bag. But stranger yet was walking side by side with the man, a skull atop each of their heads. She smiled to herself, wondering if pedestrians thought them to be a family of witches.

The clerk at the ticket booth was slightly taken aback at first. Patience surmised he was more unsettled by the hard glare Valon gave him in the end. The girl had readied her purse when Valon shoved it to the side, rousing a squeak from the clerk.

“I brought you here. I’ll pay to return you home,” Valon stated.

“Th-thank you,” said Patience. Transaction completed, the hunter handed the girl her ticket. Patience stared at the piece of paper in her fingers. It confirmed her train would depart the next morning.

As they walked away from the depot amid a throng of people, Patience could not help but feel a bit sad. Her time with Valon was drawing to a close. All she could do now was appreciate what little time they had left together. It felt surreal: beside her walked a changed man. Iasis gave him his answers, his comfort, and stripped away the hard shell he had grown. Patience would have liked to get acquainted with the new Valon, but alas.

Without a focused direction, they eventually strolled along the empty docks. The foghorns of ocean liners bellowed on the horizon, hidden behind a diminishing blanket of mist. The morning light danced on the water.

“Where will you go now?” asked Patience quietly, glancing up at the man from behind Anax’s snout.

“I’ll head back home, to Shkipni. Even though my holiday never had a planned end date, I’ve been here long enough. I’ll find passage on the next ship bound for Eureba.” He raised his head toward the distance. Far down a pier, longshoremen loaded cargo onto a ship.

Surprise struck Patience. She did not think he would mean to leave right now, but the realization sank in as she glanced at the packed bag slung over his shoulder.

“Ready, Iasis? It’ll be a long voyage.”

“Oh, I’ve always dreamed of seeing the ocean!”

“Well, you’ll get a lot of that.”

“If you ever come by my neck of the woods again …” began Patience, lightly touching Valon’s arm.

“Most likely not. I’ll live out my days where I was born. I’m done roaming in my old age.”

“Then I guess this is goodbye,” said Patience, quite unprepared to separate so soon.

For the first time since she knew him, Valon gifted her a soft lingering look made all the more beautiful with pale gold sunlight. He stared beyond Anax’s skull, reaching Patience’s honey eyes deep within. He grasped her hand and pulled it up to his face. A silky kiss fell on her relaxed knuckles.

“Thank you, Patience Firmin. For everything.”

Patience retracted her hand, the shock of his gentleness and weight of farewell slamming into her. Speechless she could only nod.

“You take care of her, Anax,” he said.

“Always,” said the skull. “Be good to Iasis.”

“I will,” said Valon, turning his back. He lifted a hand in the air, saluting a goodbye. Iasis extended the smallest of tendrils to wave. How unfortunate this otherwise beautiful morning had to be marred by their departure. Patience remained planted on the wooden planks as she watched the hunter with the skull on his crown stroll away until he disappeared from her life forever.