Chapter 177: Decision
Denzel didn’t let go of her hand.
He noticed that after they had walked for nearly a full block.
He also noticed the Knight hadn’t let go either.
Neither mentioned it.
Probably for different reasons.
Denzel told himself it was practical. They were walking through dark streets, and staying together made sense. If something happened, neither of them would have to waste time looking for the other.
Simple.
Efficient.
Nothing more.
’So why am I still holding her hand?’
He glanced down.
Their fingers were still intertwined.
The Knight noticed him looking.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"You can let go, you know."
Denzel looked ahead.
"I know."
"But you haven’t."
"I noticed."
She waited.
Denzel didn’t elaborate.
After a few seconds, she squeezed his hand once.
"Good."
He glanced at her.
"Good?"
"I was starting to think you were going to pretend you forgot."
"I don’t forget things."
"You forget to eat."
"That’s different."
"How?"
"I consider eating optional."
She stopped walking.
Denzel took two more steps before realizing she wasn’t beside him.
He turned.
The Knight stared at him with an expression that made him reconsider several life choices.
"What?"
"Optional?"
"Yes."
"Food is optional?"
"For short periods."
"How long is a short period?"
Denzel thought about it.
"Depends."
"On?"
"How busy I am."
She stared at him.
Then sighed.
"You’re impossible."
"You knew that already."
"I was hoping I was wrong."
"You should stop doing that."
She shook her head and caught up with him.
Their hands joined again without either of them discussing it.
Denzel pretended not to notice.
The Knight pretended she hadn’t deliberately reached for him.
Neither was particularly convincing.
They continued toward the edge of the district.
The streets were quieter now. Most of the shops had closed, and the few that remained open were beginning to pull their shutters down. Their footsteps became louder against the stone pavement.
Denzel kept his eyes moving.
Windows.
Rooftops.
Alleyways.
Intersections.
Reflections in dark glass.
Nothing unusual.
Yet.
"You’ve checked that window three times."
The Knight’s voice broke the silence.
Denzel looked at the building across the street.
"I was checking the street."
"You’ve checked the street six times."
"You’re counting?"
"I have nothing else to do."
"You could stop counting."
"I could."
She looked ahead.
"But then I’d miss things."
Denzel glanced at her.
There was a faint smile on her face, but her eyes were scanning the street too.
He liked that.
Not the fact that she was watching him.
The fact that she had started watching what he watched.
"Do you expect someone to attack us?" she asked.
"No."
She waited.
Denzel sighed.
"I’m expecting someone to be watching us."
Her expression changed.
"That’s different."
"Very."
"Do you think we’ve been followed?"
"I don’t know."
"That’s why you’ve been checking everything."
"Partly."
"And the other part?"
Denzel looked ahead.
"Making sure we’re not walking into something."
She nodded slowly.
The answer seemed to satisfy her.
She didn’t ask anything else.
That was another thing Denzel was beginning to appreciate about her.
She could talk.
A lot.
But when something mattered, she knew when to stop.
They walked another ten minutes before Denzel slowed.
A small inn stood at the end of the street.
The sign above the entrance was old enough that half the lettering had faded away.
Denzel stopped.
The Knight looked up at it.
"Here?"
"For tonight."
She looked at him.
"You’re tired?"
"No."
"Then why stop?"
Denzel glanced at her.
"Because I’m hungry."
Her eyes widened.
"You?"
"Don’t make it dramatic."
"I think I deserve to."
"You gave me bread."
"And now you’re admitting it worked?"
"I said I’m hungry."
She smiled.
"I’ll take the victory."
Denzel pushed open the door.
A small bell rang above them.
The inside was warmer than the street. An old fireplace burned near the back wall, and only a few people occupied the tables. Nobody paid much attention to them.
Good.
Denzel preferred places where people minded their own business.
They approached the counter.
The Knight leaned closer.
"One room?"
Denzel nodded.
"One."
She raised an eyebrow.
"One?"
"Yes."
"You’re not worried about what people might think?"
Denzel looked at her.
"About what?"
She opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
"Nothing."
"Good."
He turned toward the innkeeper.
"One room."
The Knight followed him.
Once they had the key, they climbed the narrow stairs.
The room was small.
One bed.
One chair.
One table.
One window overlooking the street.
The Knight stopped in the doorway.
Denzel walked inside.
She didn’t move.
He looked back.
"What?"
She pointed at the bed.
"There’s one."
Denzel looked at it.
Then at her.
"Yes."
"That’s all you have to say?"
"What else should I say?"
She stared at him.
Denzel sighed.
"We’re not separating."
Her expression softened.
"You mean because of the danger?"
"Obviously."
"Obviously."
She stepped inside.
Denzel closed the door behind them.
He checked the window first.
Then the lock.
Then the room.
The Knight watched him.
"You really don’t relax, do you?"
"I relax."
"When?"
Denzel thought about it.
"Sometimes."
"When?"
He looked at her.
"You’re asking too many questions."
She smiled.
"I’ll take that as a no."
Denzel ignored her and placed Sophia’s note on the table.
The second location was still written beneath the first message.
He unfolded it again.
The Knight moved beside him.
"So this is where we’re going tomorrow?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
Denzel pointed at the location.
"Something bothers me."
"What?"
"Sophia could’ve given us a direct address."
The Knight leaned over the table.
"But she didn’t."
"No."
"Why?"
Denzel traced one line of the writing with his finger.
"Because this isn’t just a location."
She looked at him.
"What is it?"
Denzel stared at the words.
"I don’t know yet."
The Knight smiled.
"Then we’re both useful."
Denzel looked at her.
She tapped the paper.
"You find the danger. I find the clue."
"That’s not a bad arrangement."
"High praise."
"Don’t get used to it."
She laughed quietly.
Denzel looked back at the note.
For the first time since leaving the alley, he didn’t feel like he was carrying the entire mystery alone.
He wasn’t sure when that had changed.
Maybe it had started with the bread.
Maybe with the hidden passage.
Maybe when Sophia had written those four words.
Take care of her.
Whatever the reason, the thought no longer felt like a burden.
It felt natural.
Denzel folded the note.
"Get some sleep."
The Knight blinked.
"What about you?"
"I’ll stay awake for a while."
"Why?"
"Someone could be watching."
She studied him.
Then pulled the chair toward the window.
"I’ll take the first watch."
Denzel frowned.
"You should sleep."
"So should you."
"I’m fine."
"So am I."
They stared at each other.
Neither moved.
Finally, Denzel sighed.
"Fine."
The Knight smiled.
"Fine."
She sat beside the window.
Denzel took the other side of the room.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
But neither complained about the arrangement either.
For tonight, that was enough.
Denzel sat on the edge of the bed, Sophia’s note resting on the table in front of him.
He had read it three times.
Nothing had changed.
That was the problem.
The location was still there. The handwriting was still Sophia’s. The message still ended with the same instruction.
But something about it bothered him.
He picked it up again.
The Knight glanced over from the window.
"You’re staring at it."
"I’m reading."
"You’ve been reading the same part for five minutes."
Denzel looked at her.
"You’ve been watching me for five minutes."
"I was watching the street."
"Your reflection is facing me."
She paused.
Then slowly turned toward the window.
"Maybe the street is behind you."
"Very convincing."
She smiled.
Denzel looked back at the paper.
"What are you looking for?"
"I’m not sure."
"That’s helpful."
"I know."
He turned the note over.
Nothing.
No hidden writing. No symbol. No additional mark.
Just an ordinary piece of parchment.
Too ordinary.
Sophia had gone through all this trouble to leave it.
There had to be a reason.
The Knight stood and walked over.
"What if you’re looking at it the wrong way?"
Denzel handed it to her.
"Then you try."
She took the parchment and studied it.
For a while, she said nothing.
Then she pointed at the location.
"This place."
"What about it?"
"You said Sophia could’ve written a direct address."
"Yes."
"But she didn’t."
Denzel nodded.
"So?"
"Maybe she didn’t want the person who found the letter to know where she was sending them."
Denzel looked at her.
She continued.
"Maybe the location is only meaningful to someone who knows what she’s talking about."
Denzel’s eyes narrowed.
"Exactly."
The Knight smiled.
"I knew you’d like that."
"I didn’t say that."
"You didn’t have to."
She placed the paper back on the table.
Denzel stared at the location again.
Then his eyes shifted toward the window.
The Knight noticed.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You stopped breathing for a second."
"I did not."
"You did."
Denzel stood.
"Stay here."
She frowned.
"Why?"
"I want to check something."
"What?"
He walked toward the window.
"The same man has passed this street twice."
The Knight’s expression immediately changed.
"When?"
"Three minutes ago."
"You didn’t tell me."
"I wasn’t sure."
"And now?"
Denzel looked through the glass.
A figure stood beneath a streetlamp across the road.
Long coat.
Dark hat.
Face hidden by the angle of the light.
Denzel’s gaze remained fixed on him.
The figure turned.
Walked away.
Denzel waited.
Ten seconds.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Nothing.
The Knight came to stand beside him.
"Did you see him?"
"Yes."
"Was he watching us?"
"I don’t know."
She looked at Denzel.
"You’re lying."
Denzel glanced at her.
"I don’t know how long he was watching us."
That was different.
She nodded.
"What do we do?"
Denzel stepped away from the window.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Not yet."
He picked up Sophia’s note and slipped it into his coat.
"We leave in five minutes."
The Knight’s eyebrows lifted.
"You just said nothing."
"I said nothing yet."
She smiled faintly.
"There you are."
Denzel looked at her.
"What?"
"The man who thinks he can solve everything by himself."
"I don’t think that."
"You were planning to go outside alone."
Denzel didn’t answer.
Her smile disappeared.
"You were."
"I was going to check."
"Alone."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Denzel frowned.
"Because if someone is following us, I’d rather know what they want before involving you."
She stared at him.
Then stepped closer.
"Too late."
Denzel looked at her.
"I’m already involved."
He didn’t have an answer for that.
She folded her arms.
"And if you’re going to investigate something, I’m coming."
"It could be dangerous."
"So could staying here."
"Exactly."
"Then we go together."
Denzel studied her face.
She wasn’t joking.
She wasn’t teasing him.
She had made her decision.
He exhaled.
"Fine."