22. Jekyll Has An Argument

Ren stared up at the wolf and rider, bubbles of story fizzing in her mind. One popped and her brow furrowed as she recognized the Servant that fit the description.

Well, mostly.

"Why does he have a head?" she asked under her breath.

"Because, as with Artoria, that's a fusion between a local summoner and a Servant. We really must learn how they're hacking our Grail," said Merlin. He raised his staff high and called, "And why are you here, Avenger?"

The wolf Ren had identified as Lobo snarled like thunder, and a voice once again pounded in her head.

Where is Lady Tora?

"Oh, she's safe," said Merlin, with unexpected cheerfulness. "Healing. She quite enjoyed her dinner. Who's asking?"

The wolf tossed his head, his ears flat, clearly holding back from jumping out of the sky to savage Merlin then and there. Ren understood the feeling.

She belongs to my Master, the Sovereign Lord Kirri Zamaran. You will surrender her at once.

Merlin glanced at Ren, who shrugged and called, "No, we won't." Then she tensed to dodge back inside if this provoked an immediate attack.

The tall, still figure on Lobo's back instead leaned forward to look down at them. Then you will face the consequences. But first, show her to me.

Ren caught Merlin's slight headshake. She said slowly, "No, we won't do that either. But if you can control yourself for a moment, I'll prove to you she's alive and well."

Without waiting for an answer, she ran back into the keep, down the stairs and to Tora's chamber. Because while she was prepared for a fight, if there was any chance of not—at least until she had some Command Seals back—she was going to take it.

"—learning the most amazing—" Ritsu stopped mid-sentence, startled, as Ren threw open the door. Tora had been listening to her with a sad expression.

"Don't mind me, I just need one of these, I'll be back soon." She caught one of the dozing night lizards, Tora's minor familiars, on the armor pile and then grabbed the breastplate as well, and hooked the door closed behind her as she left again.

Then she ran up the stairs and burst out into the courtyard. The wolf and his rider had descended a meter or so, but otherwise nothing at all had changed. Triumphant, Ren held up the armor piece with the night lizard on it. "She's here, healthy and our prisoner."

Lobo snarled like thunder once again, but the rider leaned forward to inspect Ren's proof. Then the voice said, My Master grants you time in which to surrender the woman and yourselves. If at dawn three days hence we must take her, we will then slay everybody in the castle. And if she dies, we will leave this Region a lifeless wasteland.

Without waiting for a response, the wolf sprang higher into the sky and then vanished.

Cú promptly materialized beside Ren, grinning, or at least baring his teeth. "I have to wait three days to fight an Avenger? Too bad. I may die of boredom beforehand. Maybe we can hunt him down first?"

Merlin, too, looked delighted. Ren understood Cú's joy but she frowned at Merlin as Jekyll joined them. She tucked the armor plate under her arm, vaguely wondering where the night lizard had skittered off to. "What are you so happy about?"

With a chuckle, the magus said, "He didn't say a word about a mirror, only Tora, Tora, Tora. He actually bonded with the Avenger driven by the loss of his mate. Yet she genuinely believes she's worthless to him." He laughed again. "I just love a good romance, don't you?"

Cú said, "Isn't your idea of a good romance kind of… catastrophic to everybody involved?" He held up his hands as everybody looked at him. "I mean, better them than us, definitely."

Ren said firmly, "No meddling."

Looking shocked, Merlin said, "Absolutely not! I was just going to suggest we not tell Tora about her Lord's words. That would spoil everything."

"Especially if we kill him," said Jekyll calmly.

Cú pointed at Jekyll. "True. The most important point." He rubbed his chin. "I wonder how he'll fight. Love can really have an impact on a man's tactics. Some guys get better when they're desperate but some guys get worse."

Ren said slowly, "Tora told us he was far more powerful than her, even without being a demi-Servant. And he won't come alone, any more than I would."

The Servants all looked at her. Uneasily, Cú said, "You're not coming up with another of those plans, are you?"

"What plans are these?" asked Jekyll, raising an eyebrow.

"Not yet," said Ren. "It's too early for that. We have other things to worry about first."

Jekyll repeated, patiently, "What kind of plans does she come up with?"

"We definitely can't let Ritsu's orphans move into the castle, though," Ren mused thoughtfully. She shifted the armor piece under her arm and then released it when Cú reached over to take it from her.

"Aww," said Cú, inspecting the armor idly. "Where's your confidence? You don't think we're going to lose, do you?"

Ren sighed. "Look, if anybody's going to be taken hostage here, it's going to be me."

Merlin pointed at Ren and said to Jekyll, "Those kind of plans."

"Good God," muttered Jekyll, a distinctly nervous expression crossing his face.

"I'm not planning on being a hostage," Ren pointed out. "I just don't want some little kids to present themselves as attractive targets mid-battle."

"Yes, you prefer to save that privilege for yourself," said Merlin. "Hey, hey, you said it, Serendipity. Why are we standing around outside in the dark?"

"I like the dark," said Jack, who had silently materialized behind Merlin. She startled everybody but Ren, which made Ren feel better about the way they'd teased her.

Thoughtfully, she glanced between Jekyll, Cú and Jack. "I do think somebody should go and check out Lord Kirri's forces. I'd like to know what his technology levels are, especially related to ranged and air attacks."

"Ooh, ooh, me, Mommy." Jack jumped up and down. "Nobody will ever see me. Even the doggie won't be able to sniff me out."

Ren bit her lip. She agreed with that, but Jack seemed so young. How much did she understand about the machinery of war?

Well, they had three days. If Jack's report seemed to be missing something she could always try sending Jekyll later. But in the meantime, she needed Jekyll here, while Jack had nothing to do but be her bodyguard. "All right. Go, come back by noon tomorrow, and no fighting!"

Jack gave her a cute little scout salute and vanished again. Ren stared into the darkness where she'd been for a moment, thinking about Kirri's threat to raze the Region. Of course, nobody would be killing Tora, but the threat had been… very convincing. Merlin, the immortal, had cooed over it as a sign of love, but the viciousness of it worried her.

"Serendipity?" queried Merlin, an odd note in his voice. "You're frowning again. Why?"

Ren raised her gaze to sweep across her Servants. "I expect to let Tora out of her room tomorrow. We won't hide that he gave us three days to return what was his, but I don't want anybody telling her about the Avenger's threat to kill everybody present."

When Merlin smirked, she added, "You see that as proof of his love? But is it? Tora's sister is here. Tora will know better than us if the threat is literal or hyperbolic, but I'm inclined to think anybody riding Lobo is not exaggerating."

Merlin smirk faded into a frown matching her own, while Cú looked thoughtful and Jekyll grave. Ren shrugged. "I don't want to put Tora in a position where she has to choose between her honor and her sister."

She walked past them to the keep entrance and then turned back. "But do show off to her tomorrow. If she decides we can win, that will be helpful."

Once inside the keep, Ren took a moment to lean against the wall. She hadn't been frightened out in the courtyard, but she felt a delayed reaction coming on and she didn't want to completely break down. So she pressed her palms against the cool stone wall and tilted her head back, focusing on the physical sensations instead of what had just occurred, and what could have happened instead.

A few moments later, Merlin strolled through the door with Jekyll. They walked past her and then Merlin glanced at her over his shoulder with his usual faint smile. "Did you finish getting Tora her second serving? No? Well, I'll handle it. You and Doctor Jekyll should talk. He's worked very hard today."

Ren straightened up, noticing how Jekyll's eyes slid away from her after only a glance. "Sure," and then added, "Thanks, Merlin."

Merlin only chuckled and went down the stairs, which first disappointed Ren and then left her uneasy. She looked at Jekyll again, taking a step toward him. The dim magical lantern hanging from the post of her bed way over beside the great hearth left his eyes shadowed—

"Survival instincts," he murmured, and then shook his head and took a step backward.

"Why do you keep saying that?" Ren demanded.

His head moved as if she'd startled him. "Ah, my apologies, miss. I find myself… more distracted than usual around you."

"You know, from anybody else that would be a compliment, but not the way you say it." Ren spoke mildly in an attempt to tease a smile out of him. It didn't work.

Instead he winced. "You are beautiful, of course, but… I don't think he cares about that." The second half of his statement was spoken in a muttered undervoice. Then he seemed to realize what he'd said and hastily added, "I've been studying the portal, miss, and I think that's what Merlin intended me to speak to you about."

"Hah," said Ren, eyeing him thoughtfully as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"You did say it was a priority," he pointed out nervously.

"Oh, it is. Hmm." She flashed him a toothy smile. "I want to survive, after all. But that also means earning the trust of my Servants. Please tell me what you mean about my survival instincts?"

Jekyll's mouth tightened. He turned away swiftly and walked over to a patch of moonlight cast through the window by the rising moon. Ren followed him, stopping a few yards away, watching as he raised his face to the light.

"You wonder if I'm him, so you come forward to find out. A normal person backs away from the frightening, avoids the dangerous." He turned his head to look at her from the corner of his eye. "You want to get closer to me, but Master?" His voice dropped. "You're far too close already."

Once again, Hyde sprang on Ren before she could blink, let alone dodge. But this time instead of knocking her down, he caught her roughly in his arms. His mouth covered hers as she inhaled to cry out, his tongue pushing savagely between her parted lips.

For a long moment after that, Ren found complex thought impossible. She knew what was happening, but first surprise and then sensation overwhelmed all but her most violent instincts—and for some reason she'd analyze later, those remained untriggered.

Meanwhile Hyde kissed her thoroughly, his lips and teeth and tongue moving against her mouth like an invading army: hard and sharp and even soft by turns. It wasn't the mauling she might have expected, had she previously thought about it, and that also contributed to her surprised stillness. Eventually, he made a sound in the back of his throat and moved one of his hands down over her backside to the hem of her garment.

At that point, an acrid burning smell hit Ren's nostrils, Hyde's hand stopped and the kiss changed. The pressure of his mouth lessened but somehow the kiss became hungrier, needier, as if he wanted more from her than her passive acceptance. She responded instinctively: twitching a hand against his chest, leaning in—and he broke the kiss.

He lifted his head just enough to clearly meet her eyes for a few heartbeats. His hold on her tightened. Then, muttering "Oh my God," he kissed her again, like she was air and he was drowning. It was strange and exciting, and this time she kissed him back, curling her fingers into his vest—but only for a moment. Explosively, he pushed her away: the drowning man rejecting salvation.

Ren stumbled backwards, trying to steady her breath and her whirling thoughts. When she finally raised her gaze to Jekyll, he stood calmly in the dimness, looking at her, his hands curled tightly at his sides.

"I'm more distracted than usual when I'm near you," he repeated, as if nothing had happened. "He likes you very much."

"Because I named him first?" Ren asked slowly. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips swollen, but she was confused enough about the second half of the kiss to go along with his pretense.

Jekyll shrugged, slipping his hands in his pockets. "If I understood him, I would be a different man. I don't know that the why is important. Not as important as making sure you understand what happened here." Ren gave him a bright, inquistive look and he went on. "You were alone with me, without your Command Seals. If Merlin hadn't crafted me a single-use Mystic Code this afternoon that allowed me to seize control…" Jekyll shook his head. "He would not have stopped and he would not have cared about hurting you. He has… he has…" His shoulders hunched. "I've woken to blood on my hands before."

Ren's brow furrowed. Something about what Jekyll said rang false. More than one something. She thought about his words a moment, came to several conclusions, and took a deep breath, starting with, "Single use?"

"Yes. He said he could make more, but only one a week without draining off more of my magical energy than can be… easily… replaced. So please, please be careful, miss."

Ren watched the tense, fair-haired figure in front of her. He looked both beaten and defiant. "Henry Jeckyll," she said quietly. "Do you know why I allowed Hyde to kiss me that long?" His brows knit together and she went on. "Because I knew I was safe. You aren't my only Servant. Merlin left you alone with me on purpose. Maybe because of that Mystic Code, maybe some other reason. But he knew I wouldn't come to harm."

Jekyll's shoulders relaxed as surprise chased the defiant look off his face. "What are you saying? I don't quite understand."

Shrugging, Ren said, "I'm not going to be afraid of you, Jekyll, Hyde. I'll respect your request for space when it's convenient, but in return you have to accept that even if we're alone in close quarters, I'm not going to end up as Hyde's victim."

He stared at her for a long time before finally saying, "If you have Command Seals ready, I can accept that. If you don't… I can't. I'm sorry."

They stood in silence for another long moment, each watching the other. Finally, Ren said, with an effort, "All right. We'll talk about this again later." She wanted to argue with him more, or to provoke him, prove herself to him, and force him to believe her. But she'd spoken to him about trust and she knew sometimes that took time to grow.

And even more importantly, she was afraid, too. Not of him, not the way he wanted her to be, but of that momentary closeness, and of waking up needs she didn't know how to meet. It was a risk that might grow even more dangerous if she did succeed in earning trust.

Bad thoughts. She spoke instead. "Shall we talk about the portal now instead? I'm super eager to get that fixed."

"Ah. Yes," said Jekyll. "But I'd like a few moments to myself, please? Just to get my thoughts together."

"Of course," said Ren quickly, ignoring an irrational pang of rejection. "I should go find one of the others to act as chaperone anyhow."

He gave her a small smile. "Thank you for…. Thank you."

Blushing like an idiot, Ren practically ran downstairs.

***

After the young woman had left, Jekyll ran his hands through his hair and then carefully smoothed it down again. He straightened his cuffs, adjusted his gloves and thought about his observations of the portal room.

He certainly didn't think about why he was so out of sorts. That way lay—

<You want her too, don't lie>, came the voice in the back of his head.

"I barely know her, and what I do know, I'm not sure I like," muttered Jekyll. He cast around. Even with Serendipity's departure, he felt eyes on him. Was the child Ritsu lurking somewhere? Or even that lizard that had vanished into the night?

<Since when has that mattered for our lusts?> asked the voice

Jekyll knew better than to answer, knew better than to engage. He found his glasses in his jacket pocket instead and put them on. Once they'd been reading glasses, but now, nearsightedness no longer a problem, he found them useful for seeing in other ways.

Hyde had him silent or arguing, though. <Anyhow, if you don't like her, why try so hard to protect her from me?>

Jekyll had a number of ready answers for that. He could have restated his desire to protect everybody from Hyde. He could have listed Hyde's past crimes. He even could have pointed out the girl's own strange, chilly strength.

But instead he found himself clenching his fists so tightly they ached as he muttered, "Because I won't let you have her." No… why had he said that? Had that been Hyde or him? Why couldn't he tell?

It was the sense of being observed. It confused him. That was all.

Then, Hyde's mad laughter echoing in his aching head, Jekyll finally identified the viewer as he raised his gaze to the high, shrouded balcony where Merlin stood, watching with glittering eyes.