The burst of laughter made Sieg turn his attention away from the knitting and towards the group of soldiers. The men were chatting without any care in the world. In the first week, everyone was alert and cautious. People were afraid of offending their hosts with thoughtless actions or gestures. Their vocabulary was too limited. They also kept most things locked to avoid any scents, to stir up questions or complicated situations. There was too much at stake. If the higher-ups were concerned about the flow of negotiations, ordinary soldiers were worried about their lives.

  However, the Indivisibles proved to be a peaceful species. The arrival of humans in their settlement caused a surge of interest. The adults surrounded the group, memorizing their smell and shape. Although these creatures were only about waist-high, being surrounded by them made some delegates feel uneasy. Sieg felt his comrades tense up as countless tentacles extended towards them. He glanced at the princess. Her education and the soldiers’ military training were clearly different. While the men struggled to restrain their urge to step back and pull out a weapon, she got down on one knee, making it easier for the Indivisibles to communicate with her.

  'I wonder if she doesn’t fear at all, or if she’s just accustomed to hiding her feelings after countless receptions and diplomatic missions?' thought Sieg, as he watched the girl calmly receive attention from the Indivisibles. The creatures tapped her hands, shoulders, and even her head. It was an act of obtaining information for them. However, while Dr. Winda enthusiastically accepted this attention, taking her own observations in the meantime, for most soldiers, these actions tested their patience and endurance.

  After the first greetings were over, the humans had a respite. It was disappointing to see how the Indivisibles’ interest toned down and they returned home or to work. The delegation was left alone. No one invited them into a room or offered to show them around. On the other hand, nobody opposed humans wandering around. Dr. Winda took this opportunity seriously. With a bag full of sample containers and a notebook, the woman headed to explore the settlement. Others were more reserved and focused on setting up camp.

  Their hosts lived in structures made of the same material as the shells of the males. On the first day, the delegation saw two single males building separate houses. The creatures raised their two fore claws toward their beaks. Then, using magic, they turned their saliva into a viscous liquid and mixed it with the stone dust. While the substance was still moist, they shaped it. And after it dried up, it hardened.

  It was the duty of a single male to build a house for his future family. After the construction was completed, he could invite a female to live with him. If she accepted the courtship and invitation, she would leave her parents’ house and form a pair with her chosen one. The process was a mystery to the delegation, as females never left their parents’ houses. Humans could only see a single male visit a house, and after a short time, a new united pair left it. Dr. Winda was curiously glancing inside, but the size of the entrance did not allow an adult human to enter.

  Most of the observations and negotiations took place outside. For the latter, the Indivisibles invited the representatives of the delegation to the circle of rocks on the outskirts of the settlement. Piles of stones about man’s knee height looked like nothing special to humans, but their hosts treasured them very much. They shifted the rocks with their tentacles, dismantled one pile and erected new ones, turning blue with anxiety when some stones rolled away from the structure.

  The longer the delegation stayed, the clearer it became how difficult their mission was. Aside from the language barrier and different experiences, there were other obstacles to overcome. Among them was a lack of authority. The Indivisibles did not have a hierarchy. “Talking” to one creature today, Cornelia could face a completely different one tomorrow. This slowed down the progress of negotiations, and their hosts felt nothing wrong with this approach. Anyone curious could go and take part in negotiations with humans. The lack of leaders did not push forward their species, they did not create complex and grandiose projects, but they also did not seem to care about it.

  It made some soldiers question the reasonableness of this mission altogether. Just like the capital’s public looked down on the Indivisibles, these soldiers didn’t see any value in these creatures that could offer to humanity. Fortunately, they did not influence decisions and only shared their complaints with each other.

  "Resting up?" the woman’s voice made Sieg raise his head. Dr Winda returned from her exploration walk, carrying a bag of samples and a notebook. "I noticed an officer and a couple of his subordinates leaving the camp. They are…?"

  She raised her eyebrows meaningfully, and the young man replied, "They are heading outside. The climate in the cave is not good for humans, so the lieutenant suggested taking turns to rest outside."

  Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

  "Ah, yes," the woman nodded. "I do remember him complaining about the pain in his bones."

  "What about you, doctor?"

  Winda smiled. "I’m not so old that a bit of humidity can influence me. In fact, I should say that my skin has never felt so moisturized before."

  Just as she finished speaking, a drop of water fell right on her shoulder. The woman flinched and looked up. The ceiling was so high that they couldn’t see it. They brought a few flashlights, charged at the wall, but, just like the lamps, they didn’t use them in the settlement. The delegates were afraid that the too bright light might startle the Indivisibles and that starting a fire would reduce the oxygen level.

  Sieg rose up, put his knitting aside and took the frog from the flat stone. Humans used these amphibians which Indivisible shared with the delegation. The frog lit up brighter when the man touched it. He handed it to the woman, but she shook her head.

  “I won’t need it. I’m going to take a nap.” Announcing her intentions, Dr. Winda yawned and headed straight to her tent.

  When she left, Sieg went to the settlement. He looked around, passing groups of Indivisibles. Some were carrying food; others were communicating with each other. A couple of young males, still without their pairs, were playing. They rose, climbing rocks and standing on their toes to make themselves look bigger. Waving their crab-like claws, their bodies changed color from red to brown. Then one male turned grey and hurriedly left the rock he was standing on. The other male raised his claws above, turning green.

  Humans had enough time to get acquainted with their hosts and their habit of changing color. Unlike the doctor, Sieg was not currently searching for an opportunity to witness the customs of the Indivisibles. He lightly petted the young male between the eyes that had lost the game. The Indivisible turned back to his regular red color and walked back home. Following it with his gaze, Sieg noticed someone he was looking for. He paused for a moment before mastering the courage to approach her.

  The princess was standing near one of the houses, watching a group of Indivisibles. When the guy came closer to her, she said, without turning around, "Aren’t they fascinating? I envy them. To be united together with the right person. No quarrels, no betrayals, and no doubts."

  Sieg silently stared at her for a moment. For the last few days, he had heard a lot of comments from the soldiers, yet none sounded even close to her statement.

  "It’s not like we know everything about them," the guy averted his gaze from the princess to their hosts for a second. "I mean, we have only been here for less than two weeks. There might be conflicts we are not aware of."

  "True."

  Her short answer put silence between them. Then Sieg added, "People are not hopeless either, Your Highness. There are indeed many black pages in our history," he suddenly remembered conversations he had with Lord Nolden at the wall. Remembering his grumbling margrave made him smile. "Humans are a very cooperative species. Otherwise, we couldn’t have survived for thousands of years until this day."

  The girl turned her head and looked at him with a spark of curiosity in her eyes. "Are you trying to cheer me up, or do you really have that much faith in humanity?"

  "I just said what I thought." Standing right next to her, Sieg realized the distance was shorter than he should have maintained. He straightened up but couldn’t bring himself to take a step back.

  "It’s surprising to hear those words from you after..." Cornelia paused for a moment. Her face darkened as she said the next sentence, "After living in Lazaretto and seeing another side of human nature."

  Sieg fought the urge to pat the princess on the shoulder, as he had done with the Indivisible. That would be wrong. He clenched his fist. 'It’s probably the side effect of canceling the medication. It will pass soon.'

  "I only heard about how it was in the past, but the current situation for Magic Snatchers has improved dramatically. Take women, for instance." Before she could get the wrong impression, Sieg explained, "For a long time, female hybrids were considered being defective from the start because female magic revealed itself differently. This changed after Dr. Neumann’s grandfather created a method for revealing female magic."

  Cornelia dropped her head. "You mean they used to kill women right away?"

  "No, I meant it changed for the better!" protested the guy. 'Damn me and my mouth,' he thought, as his words did not improve the situation. "Your Highness, what I meant was that I’m content to serve you. I know I’m not much help during negotiations, but if the need arises, I’ll gladly use my magic to fight for you."

  He thought this time he had done well to convey his feelings without crossing the line or upsetting her. However, the princess did not smile. She looked at him intensely, as if she had heard something entirely different behind his words.

  "If the need arises, please don’t risk your life for me. You had no choice but to be born and raised as a magic snatcher. But I hope you will at least have control over your death."

  Sieg could not take his eyes off her green eyes. The firm tone did not sound like an order. He was not scared, yet his heart was beating so loudly that it felt like she could hear it. And still, despite the desire to convince her and reassure her, he couldn’t open his mouth. Without an answer, Cornelia turned back to Indivisibles.

  'If I ever have to sacrifice my life for the royal family, I hope it will be for you.' He kept these thoughts to himself. Somehow, Sieg felt she’d be unhappy if he said that.