Chapter 168: Waiting
The Knight’s eyes remained fixed ahead.
"Run."
Denzel stared at her for half a second.
There was no explanation in her face. No room for one, either.
He moved.
They broke into a sprint.
Denzel kept pace beside her as they tore down the empty street, their footsteps striking against the stone in quick succession. The Knight didn’t look back once.
That bothered him more than if she had.
If someone was following them, she should have been checking.
Unless—
Denzel glanced over his shoulder.
Nothing.
The street behind them was empty.
No old man.
No footsteps.
No movement.
He turned forward again.
The Knight was already taking the next corner.
Denzel followed.
They cut through a narrow side street, then another. The Knight moved with purpose, never hesitating at an intersection, never slowing down to decide where to go.
Denzel’s breathing remained steady.
His mind didn’t.
’She’s not running from someone.’
He watched her back.
’She’s running toward somewhere.’
They passed beneath another row of dim streetlamps.
The Knight suddenly turned into an even narrower passage between two buildings.
Denzel followed her inside.
They emerged on a wider street.
There were people here now.
A few merchants were still closing their stalls. Several groups moved along the road, talking amongst themselves. A carriage rolled past at the far end, its wheels rattling against the uneven stone.
The Knight finally slowed.
Denzel did too.
They walked for another dozen steps before she stopped beside the wall of a closed shop.
Denzel turned toward her.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere safe."
"That doesn’t answer the question."
She looked down the street.
Her eyes moved over the people around them before settling on the entrance they’d just come through.
"Somewhere he can’t see us."
Denzel’s expression changed.
He looked back.
The alley was empty.
"Can he see us now?"
The Knight didn’t answer.
Denzel watched her face.
That was answer enough.
His jaw tightened.
’So that’s what this is.’
She hadn’t been worried about being followed physically.
She’d been worried about being watched.
Denzel folded his arms.
"Start talking."
The Knight glanced at him.
"Not here."
"We’re surrounded by people."
"Exactly."
"Then why isn’t it safe?"
"Because people don’t matter if the person you’re worried about doesn’t need to be near you."
Denzel went quiet.
The Knight pushed away from the wall.
"We keep moving."
He caught her wrist before she could take another step.
She looked down at his hand.
Then at him.
"He knew my name."
"I know."
"You didn’t seem surprised."
A brief silence passed between them.
The Knight slowly pulled her wrist free.
"I was."
"No."
Denzel’s voice remained calm.
"You were worried."
Her expression tightened.
"Denzel—"
"You knew he would recognize me."
"I didn’t."
"He called me by name."
"I heard him."
"And you immediately told me not to answer."
The Knight looked away.
Denzel studied her.
"You know who he is."
"I know of him."
"You said that before."
"And it’s still true."
"Then tell me what you know."
The Knight remained silent.
Denzel waited.
She finally exhaled through her nose.
"He’s not someone people like us should meet."
Denzel’s eyes narrowed.
"People like us?"
"You know what I mean."
"No. I don’t."
Her gaze returned to him.
"He operates in places we don’t."
"What does that mean?"
"It means his name carries weight."
Denzel glanced toward the alley again.
"And yours doesn’t?"
"Not enough."
That answer made him pause.
The Knight had never been modest about her abilities.
She had never needed to be.
Yet there was no pride in her voice now.
Only caution.
Denzel lowered his voice.
"Who is he?"
The Knight hesitated.
Then she said it.
"The old man is called an Elder."
Denzel frowned.
"An Elder of what?"
She didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, her eyes moved across the street again.
When she finally spoke, her voice had dropped.
"That’s the part you don’t want to know yet."
Denzel stared at her.
"That sounds like something you say when you don’t want to explain."
"It is."
He almost smiled.
Almost.
"Good to know you’re honest about it."
The Knight gave him a flat look.
"This isn’t funny."
"I wasn’t joking."
"That makes it worse."
Denzel looked toward the alley one more time.
Nothing.
Still nothing.
Yet the back of his neck hadn’t stopped feeling cold since the old man had spoken his name.
He looked at the Knight again.
"What was he doing there?"
"I don’t know."
"You knew the building was important."
"Yes."
"You knew Sophia was inside."
"Yes."
"And you knew that old man was dangerous."
"I knew he was someone we shouldn’t encounter."
Denzel’s eyes sharpened.
"That’s not the same thing."
"No."
She looked at him.
"It isn’t."
For the first time since they’d left the alley, something in her expression softened.
Not enough to become reassuring.
Just enough to tell him she understood what he was asking.
"You want to know why Sophia was there."
"Yes."
"So do I."
Denzel frowned.
The Knight continued.
"But whatever she’s involved in, she wasn’t there by accident."
That made him go still.
The Knight turned toward the street.
"Keep walking."
Denzel didn’t move immediately.
He thought about the woman they’d seen enter the building.
The dark window.
The hidden presence upstairs.
The old man who had somehow known his name.
Too many pieces.
And none of them fit.
Yet.
Denzel finally stepped beside her.
"Then we find out."
The Knight’s eyes shifted toward him.
"We?"
Denzel looked ahead.
"You’re the one who dragged me into this."
"I dragged you out of it."
"Same difference."
She stared at him for a moment.
Then shook her head.
"Just keep walking."
Denzel did.
Neither of them noticed the figure standing on the rooftop several streets behind them.
The figure remained perfectly still.
Watching the road they’d taken.
Then, after several seconds, it turned away.
The streets gradually became quieter as they moved farther from the crowded district.
Neither of them spoke for several minutes.
Denzel didn’t mind.
He had learned that the Knight was more likely to tell him something when she wasn’t being forced to.
So he waited.
Eventually, they reached a small plaza tucked between several older buildings. A dry fountain stood in the center, surrounded by empty benches and a few dying shrubs. The shops around it had already closed for the night.
The Knight slowed.
Then stopped.
Denzel stopped beside her.
"This is far enough."
He looked around.
"Is it?"
"For now."
She glanced behind them.
Denzel followed her gaze.
Nothing.
Again.
He was beginning to hate how often the answer was nothing.
He turned back to her.
"You said Sophia wasn’t there by accident."
The Knight’s expression tightened slightly.
"Yes."
"Then why was she there?"
"I don’t know."
Denzel stared at her.
"You don’t know anything."
"I know enough."
"Then tell me."
She hesitated.
Denzel waited.
Finally, she folded her arms.
"The building belongs to a family that has been involved with several organizations for a very long time."
"That tells me nothing."
"It isn’t supposed to."
He gave her a tired look.
"You’re doing that thing again."
"What thing?"
"Answering a question without actually answering it."
The Knight’s lips pressed together.
For a moment, Denzel thought she might refuse again.
Instead, she said, "The woman who let Sophia inside wasn’t a servant."
Denzel’s expression changed.
"She wasn’t?"
"No."
"Who was she?"
"Someone who shouldn’t have been there."
"That makes two people tonight."
The Knight ignored the comment.
"I recognized her."
Denzel waited.
"She used to work for one of the organizations connected to the Elder."
His eyes narrowed.
"Used to?"
"Yes."
"What happened?"
"I don’t know."
"Then what do you know?"
The Knight looked at him.
"That Sophia was expected."
Denzel went still.
"Expected?"
"She didn’t have to explain herself. She didn’t have to give her name. The woman saw her and let her inside."
His thoughts immediately returned to the scene.
Sophia walking toward the building.
The woman appearing at the entrance.
No hesitation.
No surprise.
Just recognition.
Denzel’s eyes hardened.
"So she was invited."
"Most likely."
"By who?"
"I don’t know."
"Then why are you so sure this is connected to the Elder?"
"Because people like him don’t appear in places like that without a reason."
Denzel looked away.
The pieces were becoming worse the more they connected.
Sophia hadn’t wandered into that building.
She hadn’t stumbled into some secret meeting.
Someone had been expecting her.
And the old man had been expecting something else.
Him.
Denzel rubbed his thumb against the side of his hand.
"Why did he know my name?"
The Knight didn’t answer.
Denzel looked at her.
"That’s the part you’ve been avoiding."
She remained silent.
"You told me to leave the moment he appeared."
"Yes."
"You didn’t even ask how he knew me."
"I already knew the answer wouldn’t be something you’d like."
"That’s not an answer."
"No."
She looked directly at him.
"It isn’t."
Her voice softened.
"The truth is, Denzel, I don’t know how long they’ve been aware of you."
His expression changed.
"What?"
"I don’t know if he recognized you tonight or if he already knew you would be there."
Denzel stared at her.
She continued before he could interrupt.
"And that’s exactly why we left."
The plaza suddenly felt quieter.
Denzel looked toward the dark street behind them.
He remembered the old man’s face.
That faint smile.
The complete lack of surprise when he’d seen him.
Are you the one who followed Sophia here?
Not Who are you?
Not What are you doing here?
He had already known.
Denzel’s eyes narrowed.
"He didn’t ask who I was."
The Knight watched him.
"He already knew."
"That’s what I’m thinking."
Denzel’s mind moved quickly.
The old man had known his name.
He had known he was following Sophia.
And he had appeared almost immediately after the Knight decided they needed to leave.
Too convenient.
Too precise.
Denzel slowly exhaled.
"So tonight wasn’t the first time they noticed me."
The Knight said nothing.
He looked at her.
"You think they’ve been watching me."
"I think we shouldn’t assume they haven’t."
That answer was worse.
Denzel turned toward the road.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
The Knight watched him carefully.
She seemed to expect anger.
Or recklessness.
Instead, Denzel simply stood there, thinking.
The old man’s smile came back to him.
The way he’d said his name.
Almost casually.
As though it belonged to someone he had already known for a long time.
Denzel’s fingers slowly curled.
’How long have they been watching me?’
He looked back toward the streets they’d come from.
Nothing moved.
But for the first time, Denzel understood something.
The most frightening part of tonight wasn’t that they had encountered someone powerful.
It was that the encounter might not have been an accident at all.
Someone had been watching.
Someone had been waiting.
And whatever Sophia had walked into that building to do, he was beginning to suspect that he had already become part of it.