A Secret Man of Blood

The Battle of The Line Part 3/End of Book One

A blast of Power takes a bite out of the fortifications, raining down stone on Anya, Elizabeth Clay, Sig and the soldiers in the fort, who are crouched behind ruins and under siege from the enemy. Giving a signal, Anya springs to her feet and, along with their remaining mages, summons a magical barrier that temporarily stops the barrage.

Finished, she speaks to her friend. "Well, Sig, it looks like this might be the end."

"I've woken up in worse situations."

"Somehow, that doesn't comfort me," Anya almost laughs.

Sig taps her on the back supportively. "Nor should it. I still say we should have gone with my plan—"

"We're not teaching mice to ride horses!"

Bursting into a fit of giggles, Sig wipes tears of laughter from his eyes. "But they're so small! They'd be like: 'What am I doing up here?' And the horse would be like: 'What is he doing up there?' His excitement grows as possibilities appear before him. "I could patent the idea and become rich—I'd never have to beg for sex again!"

Anya rubs his head like a mother sending her child to school on his first day. "...Do you see the problem with that idea?"

Head drooping like a naughty child's, Sig relents. "Yes...but I don't want to."

There's a flicker of affection as their eyes meet and Anya feels the need to say something, sincerity flooding her voice. "Listen, I know we haven't always gotten along...no, that's it," she finishes with a grin and Sig laughs.

"I know you love me, really!" He breathes deeply and listens to the aggressive magic prowling around their barrier with its sharp and strange mind, looking for weaknesses. "Soon we'll have to try and break out, to help the others. When that happens, it looks like we're not going to make it" He turns to Anya, his gaze grasping at her eyes for reassurance. "Am I a good man?"

"...You're a man, let's leave it at that."

They both laugh and Sig points at her. "I almost had you! I almost had you! There was a look in your eyes that told me you wanted to say I was a good man, even though you know I'm an absolute shitmonster—you just resisted at the last minute! The emotion was there! The emotion. Was. There."

"No, no," Anya laughs.

"Don't deny it! Don't deny the love!" He looks around, preparing himself for the inevitable. "I can imagine my funeral now..."

*

Squad delivers the eulogy to a packed crowd of thousands, many of whom are children possessing suspiciously Sig-like features, including a bizarre shark-baby hybrid with a large ginger beard.

"I first met Sig on the day he fought that haunted sex doll...or at least that's what he claimed he was doing. To be honest, I think he was just trying to style it out because, as far as I could tell, the doll wasn't even haunted."

Laughter and applause from the audience greet this anecdote, Squad lifting his hands and cautioning.

"If any of you are offended by jokes about Sig's death, don't worry...that's exactly what he would have wanted."

*

"...Why are you being insulted at your own funeral, in your own fantasy?" Anya asks, quickly adding. "Actually, don't even bother answering – I know you too well by now."

Nodding in agreement, Sig spots a young soldier approaching. "Here comes a magigraph messenger."

While heading towards Anya, the messenger is intercepted by Sig. "I'll take that from here, young man," he boldly declares.