They needed to go from the capital in the southwest corner of Cheryn to the western sea border with Relan. From what Iztris said, there were a few reports of someone like the other servant’s human appearance wandering around the area—it wasn’t much better than what Alyson and the king had found, but it was worth looking into.

It would take a few weeks to get there on foot; it could be a bit quicker, but Alyson (understandably) wanted to save the money they got from their parents for nights on an actual bed instead of hiring a wagon or getting horses (similarly, Alyson didn’t want to bring horses from the palace since they would need to eat, and Iztris was opposed to having them escorted everywhere). Jacob didn’t mind—it was a bit more time for him to get used to not being at the palace. Conversation was kept up as general banter, but Jacob didn’t try directly speaking to Iztris until they were a few days away from the capital.

They had to camp out near the road, since there wasn’t any places they could stay. Alyson was setting up their tents with Jacob as a less-experienced helper and Iztris watching. “I’m curious,” Jacob said to the servant god, “Do you still need to eat and sleep?”

Iztris didn’t exactly look like he wanted to talk, but still did. “You’re only now curious about this?”

“It takes me a while to actually ask questions,” Jacob replied. “So is it ‘yes’ or ‘no?’”

Iztris frowned. “No,” he said, sounding a bit impatient. “I do not require anything that mortals do.”

“Could you, if you wanted to?” Jacob asked curiously.

“No,” Iztris replied simply. “You have seen me change outfits before—my form here is nothing but an image. I still have a mortal’s senses through artificial means, but no being made as I am has the means to actually eat.”

“It still looks like you breathe, though,” Alyson noted.

“I can show any traits or behaviors that mortals are known to have,” Iztris explained. “It appears as though I breath, for example, although you wouldn’t be able to find a pulse or heartbeat; I can see, speak, hear, and feel, but taste is a bit limited since I cannot actually swallow food. If you were to, say, stab me with a sword, I would not bleed—it may leave behind a mark, but there would be no actual wound.”

“Are the gods the same way?” Alyson asked. She finished setting up one tent and went on to help Jacob with the other.

“All the gods who have such forms,” Iztris replied with a nod. “Which is to say, every god I have encountered while working under them. The servant Elsyn is the same.”

Jacob paused his work for a second to look at Iztris. “I just thought of something. You’re already dead, aren’t you?”

“My mortal life is over,” Iztris said. “The same can be said for the known gods and Elsyn.”

“So if you’re technically dead now,” Jacob ventured cautiously, “Can we even kill the other servant god?”

“One can still kill an immortal being in the mortal realm,” Iztris explained. “Our bodies are essentially just blocks of matter condensed into a human-like form—you could cut one of us open and be greeted by a grayish mass instead of anything you would find in a mortal. As long as there is a physical form, however, attacking any areas that would be lethal for a mortal can harm someone whose existence is like mine.”

Jacob nodded. “Thanks for saying all of that,” he said cheerfully.

Iztris muttered something back that almost sounded like a “your welcome” with feigned annoyance. He actually talked pretty easily if it was an interesting topic—and he looked uncomfortable whenever there was silence. There were some things he wouldn’t talk about—he hadn’t said much about his work for the gods so far, and he didn’t say much about much of anything that related to him personally—but it wasn’t that hard to get him to say something. Jacob saw that as a good thing.

A few times—especially when they were still close to the capital—Alyson saw a person or two she was familiar with and they were able to temporarily gain some help or a new conversation person. Jacob didn’t have as much friends outside of the palace, but he still spoke with them when he could; Iztris stayed relatively silent.

It took them exactly three weeks to get to where they needed to be. Iztris avoided talking to most people—although, to be fair, his Letrelan appearance didn’t exactly help in making conversation—with Alyson and Jacob having been told what to ask after beforehand. It was a bit weird not being recognized as the prince, but Jacob was raised humbly enough that it didn’t prevent conversation. They made plans to stay for a few days so they can ask around.