Chapter 7. Internal conflict

Robin, Beast Boy, Starfire and Raven were already eating lunch when Cyborg joined them. Robin looked curiously at his metallic friend. "Where's Valere?"

"He said that he wasn't hungry and is now looking over the files I have from his arrival." Cyborg answered

Robin cocked an eyebrow. "You trust him?"

Cyborg nodded. "But, just in case, I left a camera down there."

Raven looked at him. "He knows your watching him."

He turned to her. "What makes you think that?"

She smiled evilly. "If he is powerful enough to hear Malchior's thoughts through a box, which is one of the most powerful artefacts I've ever heard of, what would make me think he can't?"

All of their eyes widened at her statement. Robin even jumped to his feet. "He's been talking with Malchior! How can you trust him?"

She eyed her leader. "Because, if he wanted to free Malchior, or even destroy him, he could have. Or, even us for that matter." She took a deep breath. "I don't know if he is good or not, but he is not evil."

Robin looked around at his team. "I'm not sure we should take the chance."

"You took a chance on me." She countered.

Robin thrust his fists onto the table. "He talks with Malchior."

Raven jumped to her feet and seemed to tower over Robin. "So did I!" She yelled. "From what I have heard, they have only one thing in common, their thirst for knowledge and that's the only reason they talk at all." She sat back down. "This conversation is over."

"This conversation is over when I say it is!" Robin yelled.

"No. It is over when I say it is." The sentence came in a calm voice. They turned to see Valere was walking over to Robin. "You have something to say about me, you say it to me and not behind my back." He ordered.

"Fine." Robin glared at him. "I can't trust you when you hold conversations with someone like Malchior."

Valere's eyes narrowed. "You want to know why I have been talking with him. The power of my sword diminishes every time I use it, but unlike before, it has not returned. I maybe a powerful fighter, almost rivalling you, but I have grown accustom to my magic and I will not lose it without a fight.

"Malchior has been teaching me the way of magic in your existence and with the knowledge I have been giving him in exchange, we are recreating the type of power that is in my sword. Of course it is nowhere near as powerful." Valere stopped speaking.

"You're making him more powerful?" Raven yelled.

He shook his head. "He's using me as an experiment, because he can't incorporate the magic style from my existence into himself and even if he can, I've been powering up the curse, just in case." He looked at Cyborg for an instant.

"How do we know if this is true?" Robin asked, still a little on edge.

"Get Raven to check the power of the curse and Malchior's power." Valere suggested.

"And, how do we make sure you don't try anything while she's doing that?" Cyborg asked.

Valere handed his sword over to Raven. "The rest of you are more powerful than me, without my sword."

Raven returned five minutes later, "What he says is true. The curse is stronger and Malchior has not seemed to have gained any power."

She returned the sword back to its owner. Robin moved in front of her. "How do you know it's not just a trick to get us to trust him? He's Malchior's friend."

"There are friends you can trust," Valere said as he put his hands on the shoulders of Beast Boy and Starfire, "like you guys and then there are friends who you can't trust."

Robin was about to say something, but Beast Boy cut him short. "I trust you." He said to Valere, and then he turned to Robin. "I have more reason to trust him than I do to trust you. Do you remember being Red X or Slade's apprentice? We forgave you and we trust you."

Raven stepped forward. "What about Terra? We forgave her and if she came back now, even I would trust her." She poked a fingerer into Robin's. "And, Valere hasn't even done anything to make up not trust him."

All of a sudden, Valere laughed. "It is impossible to make him trust me, because he does trust me." All eyes turned to him. "He's insecure."

"I am not." Robin yelled.

"Yes you are and you think that if you had a valid reason to get rid of me, it would be fine." Valere attacked. "What you're insecure, I don't know. Maybe you think your friends will like me better and I'll end up replacing you."

Starfire cut in. "That is how I felt, when me sister was here."

"Like I was saying," Valere continued, "I don't know if that's what you're insecure about, but you have nothing to fear."

The alarm went off and everyone except Robin ran into the lining room.

"That's not what I'm insecure about." Robin whispered before following his team.