The citadel wasn’t always The Capital Seat, it was renamed once permanent residences were established thus making it obsolete for housing the more vulnerable hybryds in one arena. Now it was a government building, complete with halls to house some of the key officials and a small mage academy. But the original structure served as entrance to the Seat, and would always be left open as an audience hall for holiday feasts, important speeches, or national celebrations for all hybryd citizens as a reminder of the reason the building was erected. 

Shilo and his mother never attended any of those festivities. His mother had a tendency to shy away from crowds, well, people in general, and though he did not know her reasons, that paranoia followed him. Only he added his own definitions to it, like being dragged around by enforcers, which was now going to be added to that very long list.

He had never been to The Capital Seat personally, but a previous caretaker had explained a few of the inner workings of their government. The Capital Seat was divided into four main sectors of governmental affairs. The Prime Chancellor and his cabinet held one branch for trade, foreign affairs, war, and managing the soldiers. The Second Chancellor and her members held another for domestic matters, economics, agriculture, and organizing the Watch. The Mage Council dealt with all things mage related in their section with the academy built as an additional wing. At the center of it, all three converged with the help of an administration that consisted of lawmakers and other magistrates to help implement and regulate laws. For any laws to pass, they had to be approved by the majority of each fraction and then voted on by the people. 

It surprised him that he remembered any of it, he was only eight at the time and had been in the woman’s care for less than a year. 

The woman had chatted about a good many things that went over his young head, but he tried to listen. He listened well enough to understand she bought him more as a cure for her loneliness than as a courier for her legal practice. She barely sent him out, he had mostly stayed by her side as she worked out of her home in the rural district. But as soon as she told him she was engaged, he figured he would no longer be of any use. She was his fifth and final owner. He fled before she had a chance to sell him back to the Orphan Wranglers. That was the usual outcome when he was no longer needed or failed to perform his duties, and he was getting real sick of Urilee’s smug sneering face whenever he was returned. Urilee always took him back and made sure to degrade him because of it, so to Shilo, running off just saved the bastard the trouble and the coin.

“You’re not taking me to the Orphan Wranglers, are you? You won’t get much. Urilee knows all about me, and I promise you, he wasn’t impressed.”

The enforcer didn’t answer, didn’t even growl, he just kept his mouth shut like he had through their whole trip. Shilo had done likewise since every question was met with silence and increased jolt of pain through his spine. 

Just like now. Dammit, he gritted his teeth.

“This is why people dislike you mages, you’re all ass—ooww!” Another reminder. The damn mage was a sadist.

As they approached The Capital Seat, the Grace Triplicity Chapel with its marble statue of the gods came into view. The Earth Mother, Dra, the goddess of creation, bounty, and hope, stood proud with a hand on her pregnant belly and her other hand holding aloft a stock of wheat. Material and powerful, just like a tigress. Her hair, a mix of springy coils and dreads, was pulled up high and bound with a sun shaped tiara. The Sky Father, Sel, god of justice, change, and death stood beside her with a hand resting on her shoulder and his other hand held a bolt of lightning high in the sky. The top half of his hair was done up in warrior braids and dreads that were pulled back in a half-bun with a crescent moon pin and the rest of his long, straight hair was loose to brush past his chiseled chest. He even wore a neatly trimmed beard that gave him even more of a heroic look. The man stood tall and dignified, his features rugged to her round curves. Sel held the stern look and athletic build of a warrior—strong, capable, and vigilant, and bore wings like a giant bird. 

One of those feathered wings came around to lovely encircled his wife, shielding her in its embrace. To Shilo, it always looked as if Sel was protecting his wife’s posterior from view.

A statue of Wia, Dra’s twin and the goddess of knowledge and mana, sat behind them writing down parables in the book upon her lap. The sculptor positioned the patron goddess of magic and the creator of mages in the corner against the chapel, discreetly observing the divine couple along with the world around her.

Mages, Shilo thought with a sneer as he glared up at the enforcer. Discreet my butt! Magical purple poop-turds! The man’s haughty look of indifference and firm grip around his upper arm told Shilo he wasn’t breaking free. And his growl said he didn’t appreciate Shilo trying to ground his heels to slow their pace.

Shilo let out another yelp.

Shilo knew of the gods, heard the scriptures of their eternal love and partnership throughout creation, though he couldn’t remember ever stepping foot inside this chapel or any other. All the same, Shilo prayed as they passed that Sel’s protective wing would safeguard Asha since it was becoming painfully clear he wouldn’t be heading back to her any time soon.

That thought was only emphasized by the clock tower that rose above the entrance of The Capital Seat like a watchtower casting the shadow of doom over his very soul. Shilo glanced at the clock, half an hour had passed and Asha was probably worried sick.

The enforcer pushed Shilo through the double doors of the Entrance Hall of the Seat. Several people, probably politicians judging by the tailored suits and presentation folders, engaged one another in the lobby discussing whatever it was patronizing fancy-pants people talked about. And at the sight of him, they all stopped to gawk at him with their faces either held wide with fear or scrunched tight in loathing. Just another friendly reminder on why he hid his pigmentation under all that ash gunk. One even went so far as to pull his young assistant behind him as if he expected Shilo to swallow the teenager whole. 

Shilo growled, letting out the low animalistic rumble all hybryds were capable of when feeling threatened or enraged. His large, fang-like canines shone bright against coal-black lips as he flashed them a wicked smile while raising his middle finger in salute. The enforcer shoved him, and at the same time, sent another magical jolt of pain through his spine to rattle his teeth. Thus, the reason he hadn’t mockingly stuck out his tongue too.  

The enforcer steered him through another set of double doors and down a hallway until they reached the admittance office of the Hybryd Chapter of The Council of Mages. 

Damn, what a long ass name, Shilo thought, staring at the brass plaque as he was shoved through the door. 

At the lobby entrance stood a marble statue of Wia, which was to be expected. The goddess was typically displayed in front of any learning institution or magic facility. Her long hair was pulled back with a headband featuring a stylized eclipse, that eclipse was the emblem of anything mage related. The sculptor posed Wia in a meek and humble state with her head bowed and her hands clasped together. Which seemed very out of character for any magic user, Shilo met plenty of mages, and there was never anything meek or humble about them. 

Shilo flicked his tail and let out a low growl. Arrogant, puffed-up, magic-farting, dung-headed, purple-butt weirdos!

“Owww!” Shilo hissed. Once the pain subsided, he gaped up at the enforcer, horrified. That made twice magic-butt did that after being mentally mocked by him. He heard mages could do telepathy and had to wonder if the purple weirdo had been reading his mind.

Towards the back sat a counter with two clerks robed in the Council’s official colors of violet and navy with silver trim answering the questions of the couple addressing them. A few people, mages presumably, milled about either conversing with one another or handling paperwork, while another sat on a bench, waiting for his turn at the counter.

All that stopped once they entered the room. 

The enforcer hauled him towards the counter, causing the two already there to quickly depart. “I need to speak with whichever Archmagus is available. Now!”