Chapter 169: Dissappeared
The Knight started walking again.
Denzel followed.
Neither of them said anything.
The plaza disappeared behind them as they moved through another narrow street, the sound of their footsteps filling the space between the buildings. The city had grown quieter now. Most of the shops were closed, and the few people still outside kept to themselves.
Denzel barely noticed any of it.
His mind was still back in that alley.
The old man’s face.
The calmness in his voice.
The way he’d said his name.
Not as a question.
As a fact.
Denzel shoved his hands into his pockets.
’If they’ve been watching me, why haven’t they done anything?’
That was the part that bothered him.
If the old man had wanted him dead, he probably wouldn’t have needed much effort. The Knight had been afraid enough to drag him away without even explaining why.
So why let him leave?
Why let them run?
Why reveal that he knew Denzel’s name at all?
Denzel glanced at the Knight.
She was walking several steps ahead of him now, her attention moving between the streets around them.
He watched her for another few seconds.
Then spoke.
"If they’ve been watching me, why haven’t they done anything?"
Her pace slowed.
Only slightly.
But Denzel noticed.
"I don’t know."
He almost laughed.
"You really don’t?"
"No."
She looked back at him.
"I’ve been asking myself the same question."
That answer caught him off guard.
The Knight wasn’t supposed to admit uncertainty.
At least, not like that.
Denzel moved closer.
"So you think they have been watching me."
"I think it’s possible."
"You said that already."
"And I haven’t changed my mind."
"That isn’t what I asked."
The Knight stopped.
Denzel stopped too.
She looked at him for a moment before sighing.
"I think we should assume they’ve known about you for longer than tonight."
Denzel’s expression hardened.
"Why?"
"Because the Elder didn’t behave like someone who had just discovered you."
The words settled between them.
Denzel knew exactly what she meant.
The old man hadn’t looked surprised.
He hadn’t studied Denzel.
Hadn’t asked who he was.
He’d simply looked at him.
As if Denzel had arrived exactly where he was expected to be.
Denzel turned his head toward the street behind them.
Empty.
Again.
He hated that.
"Then why let us go?"
"I don’t know."
"You’re starting to use that answer a lot."
"Because you’re asking questions I don’t have answers to."
Denzel looked at her.
For once, she didn’t seem irritated by the questions.
She seemed worried about them.
That was worse.
They continued walking.
Denzel kept his eyes forward this time.
For perhaps thirty seconds, nothing happened.
Then a carriage passed them.
Nothing unusual about it.
Dark wooden body. Two horses. A single lantern hanging from the front.
Denzel watched it roll past.
Then frowned.
He stopped.
The Knight took two more steps before noticing.
"What?"
Denzel looked down the road.
"The carriage."
"What about it?"
"I’ve seen it before."
The Knight’s expression changed.
"When?"
"Earlier."
"Where?"
Denzel thought back.
"Near the eastern district."
She stared at him.
"You’re sure?"
"Yes."
"Was it the same carriage?"
"I don’t know."
"Then why mention it?"
"Because I remember the lantern."
The Knight looked toward the carriage.
It was already disappearing around the corner.
Denzel’s eyes narrowed.
"It had the same one."
The Knight said nothing.
Denzel glanced at her.
"You think I’m imagining it?"
"No."
That answer came too quickly.
He looked at her.
She was watching the road.
Not the carriage.
The corner where it had disappeared.
Denzel’s suspicion sharpened.
"You’ve seen it too."
"No."
"But you know what it means."
She didn’t answer.
Denzel waited.
The Knight finally looked at him.
"Maybe."
"That’s another convenient word."
"It means I’m not certain."
"You’re certain enough to be worried."
She held his gaze.
Then looked away.
"We keep moving."
Denzel didn’t argue.
They walked.
But the silence between them had changed.
Denzel kept checking behind them.
Not because he expected someone to suddenly appear.
Because he wanted to see whether the Knight would do it first.
She didn’t.
That bothered him.
Then, several streets later, she spoke.
"You want to know about the Elder."
Denzel looked at her.
"Yes."
"He isn’t simply an old man with influence."
"I figured that out."
"He’s connected to an organization."
"What organization?"
The Knight hesitated.
"One that doesn’t officially exist."
Denzel raised an eyebrow.
"That’s reassuring."
"It’s not meant to be."
"What do they do?"
"Depends on who you ask."
"And what do you say?"
"That they collect information."
Denzel’s expression flattened.
"That’s it?"
"No."
She glanced at him.
"They collect people, too."
Denzel’s steps slowed.
"What does that mean?"
"It means that if someone becomes useful to them, dangerous to them, or simply interesting enough, they take notice."
Denzel thought about the old man’s eyes.
’Interesting.’
He didn’t like that word.
"Why would they care about me?"
"I don’t know."
Denzel gave her a look.
She sighed.
"I’m serious."
"You expect me to believe they just randomly noticed me?"
"No."
"Then what?"
"I think that’s what we need to find out."
Denzel studied her.
"You’ve dealt with them before."
It wasn’t a question.
She didn’t deny it.
"I’ve crossed paths with them."
"That’s not what I said."
"I know."
"Were you involved with them?"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
Too immediately.
Denzel noticed.
"So you know them."
"I know enough to stay away from them."
"That isn’t the same thing."
"It doesn’t need to be."
Denzel shook his head.
"You’re still hiding something."
The Knight’s eyes narrowed.
"I am."
That stopped him.
She looked almost annoyed with herself for admitting it.
"But not because I don’t trust you."
"Then why?"
"Because information has consequences."
Denzel waited.
"If I tell you something you aren’t supposed to know, you don’t get to forget it afterward."
"So?"
"So if they find out you know it, they may decide you’re worth watching."
Denzel stared at her.
"They’re already watching me."
"Yes."
"Then what’s the difference?"
The Knight went quiet.
Denzel saw it.
She didn’t have an answer.
Or perhaps she had one and didn’t want to say it.
He looked ahead.
"Exactly."
They walked another few steps.
Then Denzel asked the question that had been bothering him since the beginning.
"What about Sophia?"
The Knight’s expression tightened.
"What about her?"
"She went into that building."
"Yes."
"And you said she wasn’t there by accident."
"She wasn’t."
"Then what was she doing there?"
"I don’t know."
Denzel stopped walking.
The Knight took another step before stopping too.
He looked at her.
"You don’t know anything about her either?"
"I know enough."
"You keep saying that."
"Because it’s true."
"Then tell me what you know."
The Knight stared at him for several seconds.
Finally, she spoke.
"The woman who opened the door for Sophia wasn’t a servant."
Denzel’s eyes narrowed.
"I figured that much."
"She used to work for one of the organizations connected to the Elder."
"Used to?"
"Yes."
"What happened to her?"
"I don’t know."
Denzel exhaled.
"Of course."
The Knight ignored him.
"What matters is that she recognized Sophia."
Denzel’s expression changed.
"She recognized her?"
"Yes."
"You’re sure?"
"I watched her."
Denzel’s mind returned to the scene.
Sophia approaching the building.
The door opening.
The woman standing there.
No confusion.
No hesitation.
She’d simply let Sophia inside.
"Did Sophia know her?"
"I don’t know."
"But she wasn’t surprised."
"No."
Denzel’s eyes hardened.
"So Sophia was expected."
The Knight didn’t answer.
She didn’t need to.
Denzel looked away.
That changed things.
He had been thinking of Sophia as someone who had walked into something she didn’t understand.
Someone who might have been in danger.
But if someone had been waiting for her...
Then maybe she hadn’t stumbled into anything.
Maybe she’d gone there deliberately.
"Who invited her?"
"I don’t know."
"Why was she expected?"
"I don’t know."
Denzel looked at her.
"You really know how to make a person feel informed."
A faint twitch appeared at the corner of her mouth.
It disappeared almost immediately.
"I told you. I know enough."
"Enough to know she’s involved."
"Yes."
"Enough to know the Elder is involved."
"Yes."
"Enough to know we shouldn’t go back."
"Yes."
Denzel stared down the street.
"And not enough to know why."
The Knight didn’t respond.
Denzel slowly exhaled.
He thought about Sophia again.
She hadn’t looked afraid when she’d entered.
That was what bothered him most.
If she knew she was being watched, then why had she gone inside?
If she didn’t know...
Why had someone been waiting for her?
Denzel’s fingers curled slightly.
"Then we find out."
The Knight looked at him.
"Denzel."
"We find out what Sophia was doing there."
"No."
He turned toward her.
"No?"
"Not tonight."
"Why?"
"Because if the Elder knows your name, walking back into that building is exactly what he’d expect."
Denzel held her gaze.
For once, he didn’t argue.
He simply looked down the street.
Then back at her.
"Fine."
The Knight seemed surprised by how easily he’d agreed.
Denzel started walking.
"But we’re not dropping it."
She watched him for a moment.
Then followed.
Neither of them noticed the faint figure watching from a window several buildings away.
It remained there until they disappeared around the corner.
Only then did the curtain fall shut.