Chapter 172: Behind
Denzel didn’t move.
The paper remained between his fingers, the words on the back staring up at him.
She already did.
For several seconds, the room seemed strangely quiet.
The fire crackled behind him. Somewhere outside, a carriage rolled over uneven stone, the sound fading almost as quickly as it appeared.
The Knight was still watching him.
Denzel folded the paper once.
Then again.
"How long has Sophia been gone?"
The Knight didn’t answer immediately.
That was enough.
Denzel looked up.
"You know."
"I know she left."
"That’s not what I asked."
Her jaw tightened.
"I don’t know when."
Denzel stared at her.
"You don’t know when, or you don’t want to tell me?"
"I don’t know."
"Did she leave through the front door?"
"No."
"The back?"
"No."
Denzel’s expression hardened.
"Then how?"
The Knight turned toward the stairs.
"Come with me."
Denzel followed.
They crossed the room again, but this time the Knight didn’t stop at the door. She walked past the table and toward the small section of wall beside the fireplace.
Denzel watched as she ran her fingers along the wooden paneling.
Nothing happened.
She pressed her thumb against a particular knot in the wood.
A quiet click sounded.
A narrow section of the panel shifted inward.
Denzel stared.
"You’ve got to be kidding me."
The Knight pulled it open.
Behind it was a dark passage barely wide enough for one person.
Denzel looked at her.
"You had a secret passage this entire time?"
"It’s an old building."
"You keep saying that like old buildings routinely come with secret passages."
"This one does."
"And you didn’t think that was information I needed?"
"You didn’t ask."
Denzel gave her a flat look.
"Next time we’re hiding from people trying to kill us, I’ll remember to ask about the secret architecture."
She stepped into the passage.
Denzel followed.
The air changed immediately.
It was colder inside, carrying the damp smell of stone and old wood. Their footsteps became quieter against the narrow floor.
The Knight moved without hesitation.
Denzel noticed.
"You’ve used this before."
"Yes."
"Recently?"
"Not recently."
"How long ago?"
"Years."
Denzel glanced at the walls.
"Does Sophia know about this?"
The Knight stopped.
That was answer enough.
Denzel’s eyes narrowed.
"She does."
"She knew there was another way out."
"And she used it."
The Knight continued walking.
Denzel followed more quickly.
"Why would she leave without telling me?"
"Because she didn’t want you following."
"That’s not an answer."
"It might be."
Denzel said nothing.
They reached the end of the passage.
The Knight pushed aside another wooden panel.
A narrow alley appeared on the other side.
Denzel stepped out.
Cold air touched his face.
He looked left.
Then right.
Nothing.
The alley was empty.
Exactly as it had been from the window.
Except now he could see something he hadn’t noticed before.
A small piece of white cloth had been caught on a rusted nail near the corner.
Denzel approached it.
He touched the cloth.
Soft.
Expensive.
Familiar.
His expression changed.
The Knight noticed.
"What?"
Denzel pulled it free.
There was a faint floral scent on it.
Sophia’s perfume.
"She came this way."
The Knight moved closer.
"You’re sure?"
Denzel held the cloth out.
"She wears this scent."
The Knight examined it but didn’t touch.
"Then she left through here."
Denzel looked down the alley.
"How long ago?"
"That depends."
"On what?"
"Whether she left alone."
Denzel turned.
"What do you mean?"
The Knight crouched near the ground.
Denzel followed her gaze.
There were footprints.
Most had been disturbed by the dampness and passing traffic, but two sets were still visible near the mouth of the alley.
One was smaller.
The other belonged to a man.
Denzel’s eyes narrowed.
"Sophia wasn’t alone."
"Maybe."
He pointed.
"Those are two different shoes."
"Yes."
"And one of them is hers?"
"Probably."
Denzel stood.
"Then someone was with her."
The Knight examined the tracks again.
"Or someone followed her."
"Same difference."
"No."
She rose.
"If someone followed her, she may not have known."
Denzel looked toward the street.
His mind immediately returned to the message.
You should have left.
Then the second one.
She already did.
He slowly closed his fist around the cloth.
"Whoever sent these knew she left."
"Yes."
"They knew before we did."
"Yes."
"Which means they were watching her too."
The Knight’s expression hardened.
"That’s what I’m afraid of."
Denzel looked down the alley.
"We need to find her."
"We need to think first."
"Thinking is what got us here."
"No. Not thinking got us here."
Denzel looked at her.
She continued.
"Someone has been watching this building. They knew where we were. They knew Sophia mattered to you. They knew she had left. And they chose to announce that knowledge."
She pointed toward the passage.
"If you walk out there angry, you are doing exactly what they expect."
Denzel glanced at the street.
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Find out where Sophia went."
"I just said that."
"Without letting whoever is watching us know we’re looking."
Denzel paused.
Then nodded.
"Fine."
He looked at the footprints again.
"We start here."
The Knight crouched once more.
She examined the deeper impression left by the larger shoe.
"These are recent."
"How recent?"
"Hours."
Denzel’s attention sharpened.
"That’s not enough."
She pointed toward the end of the alley.
"There."
A second mark.
A carriage wheel.
Fresh mud pressed into the stone.
Denzel stepped closer.
"The carriage?"
"Probably."
"Probably?"
"You really dislike that word."
"I dislike uncertainty."
"Then you’re going to have a difficult evening."
Denzel ignored that.
He examined the wheel track.
"Which direction?"
The Knight stood.
"Toward the eastern road."
Denzel looked toward the street.
"Then that’s where we go."
She caught his arm before he could move.
"Not like this."
He looked down at her hand.
"What now?"
"You can’t walk around the city looking for her with that expression."
Denzel frowned.
"What expression?"
"The one that says you’re about to interrogate everyone you meet."
"I’m not going to interrogate everyone."
"Good."
"Just the ones who look suspicious."
"That’s worse."
Denzel pulled his arm free.
"We don’t have time."
"We have enough time to avoid making ourselves obvious."
She walked back into the passage.
Denzel stared after her.
"Where are you going?"
"Inside."
"Why?"
"Because whoever sent those messages expects us to leave."
She glanced over her shoulder.
"So we won’t."
Denzel understood immediately.
He followed.
They returned to the room through the hidden entrance.
The Knight closed the panel.
Denzel picked up Sophia’s necklace from the table.
He stared at it.
Then something occurred to him.
"The necklace."
"What about it?"
"Why send this?"
The Knight looked at him.
"If Sophia had already left, they could have used anything."
"Exactly."
Denzel turned the necklace over.
"They wanted me to believe she was in danger."
"Maybe she was."
"Maybe."
He studied the chain.
"But if they wanted me to chase her, they wouldn’t tell me she already left."
The Knight’s expression changed.
Denzel continued.
"They’re not trying to get me to find her."
"Then what?"
"They’re trying to make me wonder where she went."
Silence.
Denzel looked toward the second message.
"Which means the message isn’t information."
"What is it?"
"A distraction."
The Knight slowly nodded.
"From what?"
Denzel looked around the room.
The table.
The chairs.
The fireplace.
The door.
The windows.
The necklace.
Then his gaze stopped on the first message.
You should have left.
He picked it up.
"Maybe we’re asking the wrong question."
"What question?"
"Who wants us gone?"
The Knight folded her arms.
"We already know the Elder has enemies."
"That’s too broad."
"And we know there are people who don’t want him interfering with their plans."
"Still too broad."
Denzel placed the note beside the necklace.
"Who knew we’d be here?"
The Knight went silent.
"Exactly."
Denzel’s eyes narrowed.
"How many people knew this location?"
"Very few."
"How few?"
"Four."
Denzel looked at her.
"Names."
She hesitated.
"Three of them are dead."
Denzel’s expression shifted.
"And the fourth?"
The Knight didn’t answer.
Denzel took one step toward her.
"The fourth."
"He isn’t supposed to know we’re here."
"That’s not what I asked."
She exhaled.
"An old contact."
"Name?"
"Marcus."
"Who is Marcus?"
"Someone I used to work with."
"Used to?"
"He’s missing."
Denzel stared at her.
"For how long?"
"Three weeks."
"Convenient."
"I didn’t say he was responsible."
"You didn’t have to."
The Knight walked to the table.
She picked up the necklace.
"There is something you should know."
Denzel waited.
"Sophia came to me yesterday."
His eyes hardened.
"About what?"
"She asked about leaving."
Denzel’s jaw tightened.
"Leaving where?"
"The city."
"Why?"
"I don’t know."
"You didn’t ask?"
"I did."
"And?"
"She wouldn’t tell me."
Denzel stared at her.
"She was planning to leave yesterday."
"Yes."
"And you didn’t tell me."
"She asked me not to."
Denzel laughed once.
There was no humor in it.
"Of course she did."
The Knight watched him.
"She didn’t want you involved."
"Apparently."
"She was afraid."
That stopped him.
Denzel looked up.
"Afraid of what?"
The Knight shook her head.
"She wouldn’t say."
"Then why are you telling me now?"
"Because she’s gone."
Denzel looked away.
His fingers tightened around the necklace.
Sophia had known something.
She had known enough to leave.
And somehow, he’d been the last person to know.
He hated that.
Not because she’d left.
Because she had decided he couldn’t be trusted with the reason.
The Knight spoke quietly.
"She said something else."
Denzel looked at her.
"What?"
"She told me that if anyone came asking for her, I should tell them she was already gone."
Denzel went still.
"Anyone?"
"Anyone."
"Did she mention me?"
"No."
"Did she mention the Elder?"
"No."
"Did she say where she was going?"
"No."
Denzel paced once across the room.
Then back.
"She planned this."
"Yes."
"She knew someone might come looking."
"Yes."
"Then the message wasn’t about her leaving."
The Knight nodded.
"No."
Denzel stopped.
"It was about us."
"Possibly."
Denzel looked at the door.
"Then we stay here."
The Knight raised an eyebrow.
"For how long?"
"Until whoever is watching realizes we’re not taking the bait."
"And then?"
Denzel looked at the hidden passage.
"We leave through the other way."
The Knight considered him for a moment.
Then nodded.
"That’s better."
Denzel walked to the table.
He picked up the second note.
He read the sentence again.
She already did.
His eyes narrowed.
The handwriting looked identical.
Same pressure.
Same angle.
Same spacing.
But something bothered him.
He turned the paper toward the lamp.
The ink had bled slightly along one edge.
Denzel frowned.
"Wait."
The Knight looked over.
"What?"
"Look at this."
She came closer.
Denzel pointed toward the final sentence.
"The ink."
"What about it?"
"It’s darker."
She examined it.
"It was written separately."
"Exactly."
"Apparently."
The lock clicked.
They entered.
The stairwell smelled of dust and old cooking oil.
Denzel climbed.
One floor.
Two.
The Knight stayed behind him.