A traitor inside the Protectors? What sounded like a blasphemy days ago, didn't seem so impossible anymore. The priest's warning forced Stefan to reconsider what Momotaro had been saying for a while.

Letting the members know about the possibility could initiate a hunt inside the resistance and, at the same time, he would be announcing to the traitor that he knew of their existence. The best option was, without a doubt, to keep it as secret as possible.

Adding to the traitor dilemma, the weight of the things he said to Momotaro crushed Stefan. Gellert was right, he needed to talk with him and fix his mistakes.

Lucky seemed to be on his side that day, the one he wanted to talk with appeared at his office's door.

"Can we talk?"  asked Momotaro, after Stefan invited him to come inside.

The leader's eyes landed on the left arm of the young man. A frown formed on his face, wasn't he supposed to have a cast? Sure, Momo tended to put his instinct over the rules but he never did something that could be detrimental to his future.

"What happened to the cast?" Stefan ignored the question that had been made and shot one of his own.

Momotaro took off the jacket he was wearing and moved his arms so Stefan could see.

"They're healed."

Stefan, amazed, had to double-check. He closed the distance between them, analyzing the healed arms.

"How's this possible?"

"I had a little bit of help, that's all I can say."  The oldest didn't ask about the one who helped him, he understands that not everyone wants to be related to the Protectors. "Now that I'm healed. Can I join again?"

Stefan patted Momotaro's back.

"I was about to send someone to get you back, I shouldn't have reacted that way. That doesn't mean I will let you talk about our members like you did."

"I know, I'm not in the position to make that kind of decision. I'm sorry for denying your authority."

"I'm glad you're healed. We're gonna need all the help, I don't know if you're up to date with the news."  Momo shook his head with enthusiasm, it was clear to Stefan what he was trying to convey. "Mr. Peters' group is plotting a deal with the demons. Ask Stella to fill you in. Now go before I change my mind."

"Thanks for the welcome, I can feel the love. Give me my goodbye hug," joked Momotaro, extending his arms.

"Don't push your luck, get out already." A little smile escaped him before Momotaro left the room.

Silence took over the office, something the leader wasn't used to. The moments that he stayed alone in the room were minimal, to the point that when he had the chance to dive into the silence, he felt uncomfortable.

He concentrated on the black ink of his tattoo. The words he wished to transfer to the young man that just left the office were clear in his mind "I believe you, you have my authorization to proceed with the search." The ink on his forearm moved until the message was written. He was sure that Momo would understand him.

The new members' evaluations waited for him on his desk to take the time to read and classify them. Stefan put on his reading glasses when the sound of a sea of confused voices outside the office made him quit his work.

He opened the door of the room and noticed that a group of curious members filled the hallways trying to figure out what was going on. The leader made his way to the center of the multitude between shoves and apologies. He wasn't ready for what he found.

A man with a big feathery hat surrounded by a gust of wind cornered Noah against a wall. The youngest one tried to use his enhanced speed to escape but a hurricane materialized around him leaving him immobilized.

The leader concentrated some of his ink toward his hands, he couldn't allow an attack on one of his members.

"What's going on here?!" screamed Stefan, making everyone shiver in fear "Who's this man?"

Flora came out of the multitude dragging her feet, "He's with me, he wants to join."

"Care to explain to me why he is attacking Noah?"

"This young boy had really offensive things to say about my new friends," complained Zygmunt, still maintaining the hurricane around the redhead.

Stefan gave a disapproving look at Flora, he thought he was being clear when he asked her to keep the investigation a secret.

"We don't allow any type of fight between members outside training. Release him now," He ordered the man.

Mr. Cheaney obeyed, afraid of the leader's aura. Noah fell to the ground holding the left side of his stomach. Stefan helped the boy to stand up and allowed him to lean on his body to hold himself.

"Follow me to the infirmary," He said to the ones responsible for the commotion. "You too Clio, don't think you can escape. And the rest, go back to your duties before I double your work."

The people in the multitude flew away in seconds, leaving the pat to the infirmary clear.

Genevieve was waiting for them at the door, one of the members let her know what happened and she prepared for the visit.

"Who is he?" Asked the doctor to her husband while she examined the patient.

Stefan directed his piercing gaze to the girls responsible for the old man's presence.

"That's what I'd like to know."

Noticing that Clio kept playing with her dagas and her eyes, filled with nervousness, didn't rise from the ground; he concluded that Flora had to do the talking.

"Te presento al señor Zygmunt Cheaney. He used to be a librarian and gathered an impressive amount of information about the village. He can help us find the elders' families, it's our best chance to find the answers we need."

Stefan reached for the cigarette inside his pocket and started to play with it, passing it between his fingers. His level of stress rose thinking about the trouble the new man could cause.

The old man wasn't paying attention. Curious about the infirmary he walked around the place touching everything he could.

"Couldn't you ask the questions instead of bringing him here?" murmured Genevieve, not wanting to offend the man.

"He wanted to come to the village. The old mayor expelled him from the village for gathering information illegally, he asked to come as a condition for helping us." Flora tried to explain.

Stefan gave another look to Zygmunt before shaking his head in denial. A person who had been expelled from the village joining the group meant high risk for them, still to stop the demons kept being their main goal.

"He's your responsibility, I don't want him fighting with the members anymore. And you better bring useful news in the next few days."

Clio and Flora nodded effusively. The leader saw it as the opportunity to continue.

"Noah is coming with you as well."

"Why him? Is this your way of punishing us?" Flora complained.

The leader imagined that she would hate the idea of having to work with someone like Noah.

"I agree with crazy latina, why me?" The boy talked for the first time since they entered the infirmary.

"Because we don't have the luxury to extend the time of the investigation and thanks to your new friend Noah already heard about it." 

He expected the young members to try to change his mind, and that's exactly what they did. Ignoring what they were saying he gave his wife a kiss goodbye before exiting the room.

To be a leader is truly a tiring job, especially when one has to deal with the whining of the members.

As usual I want to thank you for supporting the book 💜 your reads, votes and comments help me to continue writing.
Love you 💜 I hope you have an amazing week.