Page 32 of Wrong Squad, Right Mess

“If my goal is to keep her alive, do you really care what my motivations are?”

I shrugged, because he’d made a good point. “Fair enough. We aren’t sure, but I’m thinking that this all started with the heart of this dungeon—it’s got to end there.”

He frowned, then proved that, to my annoyance, he had more than a few brain cells to rub together in his skull. “She was here before?”

“Ten years ago. She touched the heart, but it didn’t kill her. Seems like it created some sort of bond, though, dragged her back here when it opened and won’t let her go.”

Jin blew out a long, slow breath. “I can see why people might find her fascinating.”

I narrowed my eyes, not caring a bit for that. It was like he could already see her as a test subject.

“Relax.” He shook his head. “I’m not saying I plan to steal her, only that I can understand why she has become a target, and why the Guild hasn’t been open about the reasons.” He pulled a tablet from his pocket, the screen barely larger than a phone. He tapped the front of it in a quick, practiced motion, then handed it over to me. “This gives you the general information we’ve gathered. It will update as you go, as we learn more. It will also show where scouts are, where targets are, and how long the estimate for the dungeon is.”

“How do I know that you aren’t going to use this to track us?” Even as I asked, I took it from him, checking the information displayed.

“This is a dungeon full of espers. You were already found once, do you truly think I would need to trick you to find you again?”

“And why are you helping us? Last I checked, you weren’t exactly a big fan of ours.”

“I’m still not. I think you lack discipline and forethought. You all act like fools, making the entire Guild look bad.”

“Hearing a lot of shit from you, but not the reason.”

His gaze shifted away for the smallest moment, one that held a wealth of regret. “I never spoke up after The Pitt last time. I let that all happen the way it did because I was assured it was for the good of the Guild. I believed that at the time.”

“But not anymore?”

“I’ve seen enough to wonder if the ends always justify the means. Also, I am less convinced about the ends.” His words were soft, but I got the sense he didn’t hide it from others—he seemed to try to hide the words from himself.

It wasn’t an apology, but I didn’t need an apology. What I needed was his help—or at least, a lack of his interference.

“Yeah, well, we all learn, huh? Fuck knows, back then I frosted the tips of my hair like a douchebag. Can’t really blame past us when we didn’t know any better.”

He frowned, tilting his head as he stared at me. After a moment, he let out a quick breath—almost a laugh. “You really are a fool, aren’t you?”

“Maybe.” I stepped back and held my arms out, the tablet in one of my hands. “But you know I have a good time doing it. When we get back alive, we’ll have lunch. Maybe a manicure.” I tucked the tablet into my pocket as I turned.

“Make sure you come back,” he said from behind me.

I plan on it.

Chapter Nineteen

Yun

I couldn’t shake the unease, like there was this thread inside me. Not just one, but a spiderweb that cast out, linking me to everything around us.

The monsters that still prowled just out of sight, the trees, the soil beneath my feet, the heart.

Even to Corsa, wherever he was. Since I couldn’t leave, this weight had settled on me, as though it was a fact I could no longer ignore or pretend not to know. Whatever had happened here last time had connected me to The Pitt in a way I didn’t understand, and it remained even after ten years.

I hated it. It felt like walking through an old attic, when little bits of dust and web stuck to a person and they couldn’t get it off no matter how hard they tried.

I glanced around me to find Kenyon to one side and Shear the other—the two who usually stayed right next to me—and I sighed.

They’d gotten dragged into this mess as well.

Normally, no one approached the heart of a stable dungeon. Why would they? It was well known that they couldn’t destroy the heart, and the dungeon would protect itself, the monsters heaviest in that area. Yet here we were, traipsing in that direction because we didn’t have another choice.