They likely wouldn’t get much sleep tonight.
Rowan really could not care less if he was sleep deprived tomorrow. Cementing this man’s affection, showing Milo just how much he was adored, was definitely the higher priority.
They were indeed sleep deprived the next day, but neither regretted it. Rowan had something of a spring in his step as hewent about his duties. It was a pretty day, with clear skies and a warmer temperature than normal. The perfect weather made a good morning even better. He took Milo a snack after lunch, which was becoming a habit, but this might be the last time he did it. For this particular job, at least.
The first ward was practically done.
With Bennet helping Milo, the job had moved along a lot faster. Mage Nottle had finished inscribing the last corner of the fortress, which saved Milo a full day of work, easily.
Milo still had the outer ward to set up, of course, as he wanted to connect the eight watchtowers with a ward that would encompass the town and immediate surroundings, but the fortress ward would be completed by end of day.
It was a huge weight off his shoulders to have the fortress properly warded. Rowan knew Milo had pushed himself, wanting to take the stress off Rowan, and he felt immensely grateful.
Rowan was standing in the northernmost watchtower when he saw the ward visibly snap into place over the fortress, like a dome. It was so obviously right, nothing like the paper-thin ward it had been before. This was opaque, milky white, almost difficult to see through—exactly as a ward should look, at least in the beginning. Over time it would fade and not be so hard to see through. His heart leapt in his chest. So excited he couldn’t contain himself, he went back down the several flights of stairs and ran the short distance back to the fortress, searching out Milo. Rowan had just entered the boundary of the ward when he spotted Milo, not far away at all and standing with Advocate Nottle.
At a lope, he crossed to his lover, and the second he was in range, he bear-hugged the stuffing out of him.
Milo squeaked as his feet left earth, then laughed. “I know you’re super happy.”
“Super,” Rowan agreed adamantly. Feeling like he was being rude, he tacked on to Nottle, “Thank you.”
“I’m happy to assist.” Advocate Nottle regarded them thoughtfully. “Milo told me he wants a permanent station up here. I can see why, as frankly, your entire family has folded him in like he’s part of them.”
He was. It was as simple as that.
Nottle stroked his trimmed beard, expression thoughtful. “Personally, I’d feel safer having him stationed here. There’s a fortress here for damn good reason, after all. Bastions like this one are crucial for the safety of Ascos.”
A Second Circle Mage being stationed here only made sense, really. They just hadn’t been able to convince a mage to stay these past few years.
“Honestly, it’s been a stressor for the Magic Council,” Nottle added, nose wrinkling as he made a face. “I heard there’s been countless meetings about how to keep someone here, but they couldn’t seem to find anyone willing to come up here for more than a season. The other Bastions currently have in-residence mages, but Gravegarde has proven tricky. It’ll be a relief to them that a mage of Milo’s caliber wants to be up here. They’ll sign it the second he submits the request. Milo, if you give me the particulars, I can submit the paperwork for you.”
Milo waved off this offer. “I need to go into Goldguard anyway to pack up the rest of my stuff. Plus buy a few things, if I’m going to live here permanently. But thank you. Just make sure you take Andrew back with you and report what he was doing up here.”
Nottle made a face. “It might be the final straw.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Andrew is actually in trouble,” Nottle explained, rubbing his temple. “I was of two minds on even bringing him up here. Ever since you and he split ways, his performance at work has fallen sharply. We all gave him some grace at first—breakups do rattlepeople, after all—but he’s not improving. If anything, he’s almost gotten worse? He’s no longer able to solve problems like he used to. He’s barely able to evaluate issues now. It’s like he can’t focus or something. He was already on probation, but with this report, he’s likely to be demoted.”
A wicked curl of pettiness floated through Rowan. Oh, whatdelightfulnews. So Andrew Latimer was in the find out stage after fucking around so much? No wonder the man was panicky.
Milo let his head fall back on his shoulders, expression absolutely done. “Figures. It’s part of what broke us apart, his carelessness. He’s not used to cleaning up after himself.”
Rowan had to challenge this. “Is he good at anything? I can’t figure out why people give him a chance.”
“He’s charming when he wants to be. He’s good at sex, too. Or at least, I used to think so.” Milo smirked and discreetly gave Rowan’s ass cheek a loving squeeze.
Oh, so he was superior to Latimer in bed? Delightful. Rowan’s smug male pride raised its head to gloat.
Nottle cleared his throat, giving them both a pointed look. “Ahem. Too much information, thank you. Anyway, Milo, I like the idea of a second ward. In fact, I think I want to stay and help you put it together before leaving. Then I can attest to things being done perfectly up here, with a formal diagram of the wards to submit with my report.”
“Sure, sure, that’s a good idea.” To Rowan, Milo explained, “We try to leave a paper trail for the next mage who might come up into an area, so even if the original creator of a ward isn’t there, they have some idea of what to do. Or how to fix something that goes wrong. We hope for the best but plan for the worst.”
“Much like how you built two wards instead of one?”
“Yup. Paranoia saves lives.”
Rowan absolutely agreed. “Fine by me. But doesn’t that meanheis going to stay longer too?”
