Notes:
AJ: Milo? Aside from sexing up Rowan and working magic, do you have any other thoughts in your head
Milo: Of course I do. Snacks.
AJ: Ah, yes. The expected answer.
9
Milo
Milo didn’t skip to the first tower, mostly because he had a pail of paint in his hands hereallydidn’t want to spill, but his heart was skipping. He had Rowan to himself today, and he could finally start a task that would take some stress off his lover. Two pluses.
Milo wore his new cloak this morning, but only because the wind coming off the sea and to the top of the cliffside fortress was beyond nippy. He didn’t wear his hat or gloves, though; it wasn’t cold enough to warrant those. With his most comfortableboots and ready-to-work clothes on, he was ready to tackle the mammoth projects ahead of him.
Well, maybe he’d get to them, if he could keep his eyes off Rowan for more than a second. His boyfriend had donned his captain’s uniform—a dark green and black tunic that looked downright delicious on him, the fit emphasizing his muscular frame while the colors made his vibrant hair and beard stand out even more. He looked like an officer ready to command his men on the battlefield, all the way down to his ever-present greatsword faithfully at his side. Damn, Milo did love a man in uniform.
But the day was a good one for working, thankfully. Bright blue sky, a few clouds, no weather in sight to threaten them with. Since Milo needed to paint many things, he mentally blessed the goddess of weather for her benevolence.
They were walking for the simple reason that riding a horse from watchtower to watchtower didn’t make sense. According to Rowan, it would only take a few minutes’ walk in each direction, so it was quite manageable even with the extra supplies. Milo needed to give a blueprint for the barrier, in essence, so once he started, he’d mark the ground as he walked. It had to be in a straight line, too, so he would use a guiding spell marking the ground in a bright white line. Two spells at once wasn’t difficult, but trying to do two spells, guide a horse, and not spill paint at the same time? Doomed. So, he walked.
Rowan kept pace with him easily, a picnic basket in one hand. That had been smart on his part. They could stop and eat lunch without trekking all the way back to the fortress. Milo would really prefer to get the barrier and the communication sigils back up today, if at all possible. It would make for a long-ass day, granted.
His lover watched the area as they walked to the first watchtower. Rowan wasn’t super obvious about it, but the wayhe panned his head every now and again showed he was watching for trouble. He wasn’t just assuming the area was safe, especially since they’d had a recent Drachifel attack. Milo appreciated his caution. It was, unfortunately, easy to sneak up on him while he was doing spellwork. Mostly because he got lost in the work.
There weren’t many trees in this section of the duchy, and Milo spotted a patrol of six uniformed men just up ahead of them, heading west toward the cliff face. He indicated them with a jerk of his chin. “Are they looking for something in particular?”
“No, just patrolling. I have three units walking the perimeter right now.”
“Aren’t they normally in the watchtowers?”
“I told them to stay clear today so you can work. I wasn’t sure if someone being in the tower would mess with the process.”
“Oh.” So par for the course of his thoughtful boyfriend. “No, them being in this area wouldn’t do anything to the spells I’m working. They would absolutely distract me, though, so good call.”
Rowan bent a knowing eye on him. “You do love to chat.”
“Second favorite hobby,” Milo agreed brightly.
“Right after eating?”
“You know me well.”
Rowan snorted, and was that an amused smile playing around his eyes? Milo loved the fact Rowan found him so funny. He did try his best, after all.
The first tower sat on a lower section of the cliff, looking out over the sea. Milo could see why they’d built one there, as it was part lighthouse, part watchtower, with a huge mage globe sitting on the roof to help guide the ships. There was also a sloped pathway nearby, leading down to a small port with only one vessel currently docked.
Milo walked up the four flights of stairs—ye gods, he’d be exhausted at the end of the day with all of these stairs—and to the top part of the tower. Well, without actually climbing onto the roof. He did poke his head through the trapdoor up top to double-check the mage light. It seemed fine. Perfect, really.
Milo knew why, too.
Grumbling, he came right back down, seriously unhappy with the previous mages.
Rowan picked up on this mood and asked with concern, “Is the mage light bad?”
“Huh? Oh, no, no, it’s fine. It just pisses me off that the one thing those previous mages chose to properly fix was also the easiest. Doesn’t matter how big you make a mage light, it’s a simple spell. First year apprentices do it to cut their teeth on. Pisses me off they’d do a perfect job here when the ward was just as vital.”
From the dark cloud of anger that swept over Rowan’s face, he was pissed now too.
