They had already lost him twice.
That was the part Cael liked most.
The thief moved like someone who had grown up inside the city's veins—cutting through crowds without slowing, doubling back through alleys, never holding a straight line long enough to be predictable.
He ran with confidence.
With flair.
Like he wanted to be chased.
By the time Riven realized the route wasn't random, the man was already smiling over his shoulder—wide, sharp, mocking—before vanishing again into the press of bodies.
Cael laughed as they vaulted a low fence and skidded into another narrow passage.
"He's good," he said, breathless and delighted.
"He stole from the wrong people," Riven replied.
His voice stayed even, but his eyes never stopped moving—tracking shadows, counting exits, measuring distance with every step.
"That makes him stupid."
Ahead of them, the thief clipped a corner and disappeared into smoke and shadow, something metallic clinking at his belt.
Whatever he'd taken was heavy.
Important enough to run this hard for.
Cael felt the familiar heat stirring under his skin, magic licking awake like it always did when things got fun.
"Still think we should wait for others?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
Riven didn't look at him.
"No."
"If he gets away, you lose that brand-new knuckle plate."
Cael grinned, turning toward Riven.
"I don't need 'em anyway. I just wanna punch him."
The alley exploded.
Stone burst outward in a concussive wave as Cael slammed shoulder-first into the brick wall.
Dust and fire ripped through the narrow space, the impact knocking the air from his lungs and sending a spiderweb of cracks racing through the stone.
He slid down the wall, coughing.
A laugh tore out of him.
"Okay—okay—maybe a little too much!"
Cael wheezed, wiping soot from his face as heat rolled past him in shimmering waves. His hands still glowed faintly, magic leaking off him like steam.
"But you saw that, right?" he added, breath hitching. "I almost had him."
Riven didn't answer.
He stood at the mouth of the alley, half-turned, one foot already angled for movement. His eyes tracked the drifting smoke, listening past the ringing in his ears, counting heartbeats.
The explosion had been loud.
Too loud.
People would be coming.
And worse—
Responses.
"There," Riven said at last, voice flat and precise. "Left rooftop."
"He didn't flee."
Cael's grin sharpened.
"Perfect."
Before Riven could object, Cael kicked off the wall and surged upward, magic flaring as he ran three steps vertically before grabbing a broken window ledge.
Stone crumbled under his fingers.
He didn't slow.
Riven swore under his breath and sprinted forward, vaulting debris with practiced ease.
Too fast.
Too reckless.
Cael always fought like the world would forgive him for it.
It usually did.
Cael crested the rooftop like a launched projectile, boots skidding on loose tile as he locked eyes with their quarry—a lean man in patched leathers, lightning flickering nervously around his hands.
"Oh good," Cael said brightly. "You decided to stay."
He swung.
The punch never landed.
"CAEL—DOWN!"
Cael twisted on instinct alone, dropping into a roll as a bolt of lightning tore through the space where his head had been a fraction of a second earlier. The air screamed. Tiles exploded.
Cael hit the ground hard.
Laughed again.
And came up on one knee.
"Okay," he said, shaking out his arm again.
"That was too close."
Riven landed beside him a heartbeat later, breath steady, eyes already mapping angles. His hand traced a tight sigil in the air, lines snapping into place with disciplined precision.
"You're burning too hot, again!" Riven yelled.
Cael pushed to his feet, magic flaring brighter in response. Heat rippled outward.
"I had the opening! You saw it!"
"You had three," Riven shot back. "You chose the loudest one."
The thief didn't wait for them to finish arguing.
He bolted.
Cael surged forward instantly, boots scraping sparks off stone as he channeled another burst. His muscles screamed. Stamina drained fast.
But the thrill drowned it out.
"Cael—don't—!"
Too late.
The chase spilled across rooftops.
Cael gained ground in explosive leaps.
Riven followed below—efficient, relentless—always angling ahead instead of chasing directly.
He cut through side streets. Vaulted fences. Slid under clotheslines. Anything it took to keep eyes on Cael.
"Left—no, LEFT—!"
Cael misjudged a jump.
Slammed shoulder-first into a chimney.
Barely caught himself from tumbling into the street below.
Pain flared.
He grinned through it.
"Worth it!"
Riven reached the edge of the building and skidded to a stop.
His eyes flicked rapidly.
The thief disappeared down an alley ahead.
Cael crouched, ready to leap—
Then Riven grabbed his wrist.
For a split second, the world stopped.
Cael looked down at Riven's hand.
Then up at his face.
Riven's expression wasn't angry. It was somewhere between panic and concern.
That was worse.
"He wants us to follow, Cael," Riven said quietly. "That alley is a funnel."
"No exits for two blocks."
Cael's glow sputtered as he exhaled, magic bleeding off him in useless sparks.
"Are you saying it's a trap?"
"I'm saying it's obvious," Riven replied. "And you're already running on fumes."
Cael flexed his fingers.
They shook slightly now.
He hadn't noticed.
"…So," Cael said, forcing a grin. "What's the smart play?"
Riven released his wrist and turned without a second thought.
"We cut him off using the eastern route. He panics and we snag him."
"You don't chase."
Cael blinked.
"Hey."
Riven paused.
"You didn't say don't explode things."
Riven sighed, already moving.
"Try not to."
They split.
Riven dropped into the street, weaving through startled pedestrians with sharp apologies and sharper turns.
He reached the eastern alley first.
The thief burst out, eyes wide with relief—
And then widened further in panic.
Riven finished the binding sigil and snapped it shut.
Light flared.
The thief hit the ground hard, limbs locking uselessly as the magic took hold.
A second later, Cael landed beside them in a rush of heat and broken stone.
He looked down at the restrained man.
Then at Riven.
"…See?" Cael said proudly. "Perfect plan."
Riven stared at the scorch marks Cael's landing had left across the cobblestones.
"Cael."
"Yeah?"
"You collapsed two chimneys."
Cael winced.
"Only partially."
Riven pinched the bridge of his nose.
They stood there for a moment.
Smoke drifted.
Distant shouts grew louder.
Cael nudged him with an elbow.
"You could've let me hit him. Just once."
Riven glanced at him.
"You'd have missed."
Cael laughed.
Loud. Unbothered.
Even as exhaustion finally dragged at his limbs.
"Yeah," he said. "Probably."
Sirens rang out in the distance.
Riven turned and ran.
Cael followed without hesitation.