The more time they spent there, the longer being home felt…more than a bit selfish. Alyson knew that it wasn’t, exactly—there was still a bit debate on whether or not the group was actually following the servant god, so while the king sent knights out to investigate he didn’t want to send the heirs and Iztris—but the feeling was still there. No matter who was dying, they were still losing their lives. She couldn’t handle being in charge of those lives yet—she couldn’t even be in charge of telling others about it—but she knew that she would have to be one day and that was starting to bother her.

She brought it up a few times at meals. Looking at her father, she said, “Do you think you could send us out with the knights next time?”

“You’re that eager to be out of here?” Her father replied with a bit of humor. Still, he continued simply. “Even if you guys are eventually going to fight a kind of god, I don’t want to send you out there until we’re all sure on everything—or until Iztris finds something in the reports useful, aside from the lack of them.”

“It just feels a bit useless to be here,” Alyson admitted.

“Safety isn’t useless,” her mother said kindly. “You can leave whenever we all know that it’s reasonableto let you leave.”

“Plus, I like it when you’re here to help me!” Miles added cheerfully.

She had to nod for now, understanding their reasoning but still wishing she could do more. It took another few days before anyone could be convinced otherwise.

After breakfast, Alyson, Jacob, and their father all went back to the office to greet Iztris for the morning. Jacob was there more to entertain conversation for Iztris’s sake than to actually look over reports; he didn’t do much more than entertain conversation, really, but no one minded.

“Iztris,” Jacob said at some point. The servant god offered a kind of grunt in response to show that he was listening. “What’s the pettiest argument you remember getting in with your brothers?”

Iztris actually chuckled a little, which made the king glance at him with some level of surprise. The king didn’t interrupt Iztris’s response, though. “The pettiest? I can’t easily recall just one. The longest-lasting, however? My older brother brought a pup home after a trip away with our father. A few names were suggested, but ultimately the poor thing went unnamed for at least a year.”

“At least?” Alyson asked.

“I died near the end of that next summer,” Iztris explained. “I couldn’t speak directly with anyone I once knew, so I’m not sure if the thing ever got a name. Aside from the naming incident, it generally preferred me over my brothers—it slept at the foot of my bed and followed me around quite a bit. My brothers could never understand why.”

“I’ve always wanted a dog,” Jacob mused. He glanced at the king with an amused look. “But whenever I bring it up, I hear ‘no, it’ll get lost, it might scare away visitors.’”

“No kind of pet can survive a single day in a house this chaotic,” the king pointed out.

Before Jacob could try to argue his case further, someone knocked on the door and opened it. “Milord,” the person said, “There’s another report in.”

“Weird time,” the king muttered. Still, he stood up and took it, speaking to the messenger for a moment. “Just one? Well, thank you—safe travels heading back home.”

The messenger left after bowing, closing the door again. The king wandered back to the table but didn’t sit down, quickly reading over what the report said. “This lists a few people that are attacking towns,” he noted. He looked over at Iztris. “Do you want to see it for any names you might recognize?”

Iztris nodded, took the report and read it over himself while the king sat back down. Iztris just frowned at the paper for a few moments. “Something noteworthy?” Alyson asked.

“There’s one name that’s familiar,” Iztris replied. “As far as I know, Elsyn’s family—or its last name, at any rate—died out a little bit after Relan separated from Cheryn. I could be wrong, but the last name fits; the first name’s off, however.”

“What’s different about it?” Jacob asked.

“Elsyn and I used our mortal names fairly often when we would travel,” Iztris explained. He stared at the paper for another few moments before he looked back up again. “Do any of you know what the word ‘iaspis’ would translate to in modern language?”

There was a pause while they thought about it before the king spoke up. “I think it most commonly translates to ‘diamond,’” he recalled. “It can also translate to ‘jasper,’ though, if that’s what you’re thinking of.”

“It has to be Elsyn,” Iztris said firmly. He looked directly at the king. “The lack of reports from some towns should be enough for us to determine where the group will be.”

“Do you really need my permission before you go?” The king asked, almost offering some amusement. “I’m not the head of this operation.”

“You’re the reason we haven’t left yet,” Alyson pointed out kindly. “If we know where they’ll be going and we know that they’re definitely who we need to be looking for, there’s no reason to stay here.”

Fortunately, the king didn’t bother trying to argue. “You two can make sure you’re ready to head out,” he said. “I’ll find a knight or two to go with you.”

The heirs both nodded, and all three of them left; Iztris murmured something about reporting to the gods. They made plans to be off that next morning.