The black-clad figure froze the moment he saw them.
For a split second he simply stood on the opposite rooftop, body tensed, the night wind tugging at the edges of his dark cloth. Lantern light from the street below painted thin gold lines across the tiles. He had been careful. He had taken the long route across the northern roofs, avoided every patrol, and still somehow ended up staring at the exact people he needed to avoid. He recognized Grey and Reynolds the instant he saw them.
Grey sat with one leg dangling over the edge of the roof, looking completely at ease. Void circled once around his shoulders before settling, tail flicking lazily. Reynolds leaned back on his hands, glancing between Grey and the newcomer without any visible tension.
The figure's heart slammed once against his ribs. He spun and bolted in the opposite direction, feet barely touching the tiles as he sprinted toward a lower roof that led into a denser cluster of buildings.
He did not get far.
