Contrary to what Baekhyun seemed to think, Chanyeol was not sulking.

But if he were sulking, it would have been totally justifiable in his opinion, because he was a solider. He was a fully commissioned officer in Commander Suho’s elite first response unit. He was powerful, experienced, and certainly not in need to protection, exiled to a distant military base where he could be easily hidden within the current personnel.

With his feet dangling freely over the military base’s highest building, giving Chanyeol a vantage point of the men and women scurrying around both in and out of formation, he pressed a hand to the device hooked around his ear and relayed to Baekhyun, “I’m sorry, I missed the part where I suddenly reverted to being a child who needs people to look out for him.”

He could practically see Baekhyun rolling his eyes on the other side of the country. It was the furthest they’d ever been apart, mostly because Baekhyun stuck to Suho like glue, and Chanyeol was a little afraid to let Baekhyun out of his sight as the war progressed. Suho had always seemed more than wiling to indulge Chanyeol’s nervousness, up until now, of course.

“Stop acting like a baby and you might stop getting treated like one,” Baekhyun said.

Chanyeol swung his feet out, feeling the fire itch under his skin to be let out. “Maybe I’m acting like one because I’m being treated like one.”

And he still didn’t understand the logic in him being sent away, closer to the M boarder, and away from Suho and Baekhyun. If he was a target, being moved closer to the enemy didn’t make much sense to him, no matter how Suho explained it with a carefully held expression. Neither did Chanyeol really think that a few thousand soldiers, no matter how well trained they were, were going to be able to protect him if even a few guys from M showed up with abilities. Not that Chanyeol would let them.

Maybe Suho didn’t want him at the capital, bringing attention there. Maybe this was more about keeping others safe, and less about protecting him.

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun sighed out, his voice tense over the line. “Suho is trying to protect you, not treat you like a child. People with two abilities, especially the ones who’s names are floating around M channels, are going to be high priority targets. Suho cares a lot for you, and everyone knows how close you are. The expectation is that he’ll keep you close to him, especially with how powerful you are. So if you manage to stay out of trouble, and keep your head down, no one from M should even know where you are. Thus, you’ll be safe. Am I making sense here?”

“You’re just making me more annoyed,” Chanyeol answered honestly. “If M wants to target me, seriously, then they’ll send more than one guy after me, which means I’m pretty much dead. And if they don’t want to, then me being here is pretty much pointless, so it doesn’t matter what you say, I have a right to be upset.”

On the other end of the line Chanyeol could hear a flurry of activity, evidence that while he was stuck out in a desolate area with only himself for company, Baekhyun was in the thick of things back in the capital.

However, when Chanyeol really thought about it, the capital was the safest place to be right now. It was well fortified, with the most amount of specials, and as much as Chanyeol knew Suho liked him, he knew Suho liked Baekhyun even more. Baekhyun was going to be safe there, at least for the moment, and that was a weight off his shoulders.

“Suho really needs you out there. It’s not a front, his orders, if that’s what you’re thinking. Half of those soldiers at the base are new recruits, bussed in from nearby towns. Suho needs you there to help oversee their training, and to try to root out anyone with an ability. There’s bound to be a late bloomer in there or two.”

Chanyeol didn’t doubt that. Baekhyun might have been early to manifest, lighting up the whole city of their hometown right before his ninth birthday, but in comparison Chanyeol had been late. He’d been well past puberty by the time he almost burned his house down, and even older the first time he’d manifested his phoenix.

“There are plenty of officers already here to train the new recruits,” Chanyeol protested. “I don’t need to be here. We’re being invaded, Baek, invaded. This is completely different from having a few skirmishes a year, and having to worry more about feeding our people. This is the face of extinction marching right up to our front door. I should be there, with you, doing something. This is beyond ridiculous.”

Almost accusingly, Baekhyun asked, “You think I don’t want you here? With me?”

“You didn’t exactly fight to keep me at the capitol.” It was almost burned into Chanyeol’s mind, the way that Baekhyun had stood obediently next to Suho and not said a word until the order was issued and Chanyeol had not choice but to do as told. “You could have said something to Suho. You could have fought for me just a little. You seemed happy enough to follow his lead and just ignore what I might want.”

“Is that what this is all about?” Baekhyun demanded. “Are you jealous? Or just upset that I didn’t fight Suho on this? For your information, I didn’t fight him on this because I agree, and I’d rather have you pissed off at me and alive, than here and dead.”

“I’m not jealous,” Chanyeol all but growled out.

“You sure sound that way, and that’s not an attractive quality.”

Feeling full of anger, Chanyeol climbed to his feet, dusting off his pants. “I’m going to go now. I don’t want to fight with you, and we’re obviously done talking.” He’d probably used up all of his allotted break time and was likely needed to stand around and look imposing to the new recruits. That seemed to be the only use the officers at the base had for him thus far.

“Chanyeol, wait.”

Tersely, Chanyeol said, “Obviously I don’t know how long I’m going to be here, but take care of yourself, and watch after Suho. He forgets to eat and sleep sometimes.”

“Don’t you dare hang up on me.”

Chanyeol brought his hand to his ear, pausing only long enough to say, “I love you, you know. I really do.” Then he hung up, his morale low and his anger palpable.

He could hear a steady beep in his ear, indicating Baekhyun was trying to call him back, but he ignored the sound. The last thing he wanted to do was fight with the person he loved the most. And if he picked up, they would only fight more. There’d be no getting through to Baekhyun when he had decided something, and at least for the moment, Chanyeol couldn’t help feeling betrayed.

They were being invaded. And according to Baekhyun, all because some idiot had gone and stolen the prince’s cousin right out from under him, setting the prince’s furry on Suho.

M and K weren’t matched, outside of the ratio of people with abilities, and everyone knew that M had the upper hand in the war. M had been steadily pushing into K for years, and that had been half heartedly. A full invasion would truly test their power, and Chanyeol had a dark suspicion that if it really came down to a final battle, between K and M, M might win the territory, but they’d all end up dead.

If that was the case, Chanyeol didn’t want to die alone. He wanted to die with Suho who’d fought against his superior at the time, promising Chanyeol wasn’t a threat to them because he was so much older gaining his abilities, and without any kind of control. And with Baekhyun, who’d been the first one to make a move when they were teens, grabbing a too scared Chanyeol by the collar, declaring his love and kissing him senseless in front of everyone. He wanted to be with the people he had fought next to, in the capitol he had sworn to defend. He did not want to be isolated on a military base while Exo K fell apart around them.

A burst of heat from his fingers surprised him, and oddly enough, he almost lost control of the fire within. It was an odd sensation, something he hadn’t felt in years, but it had him staggering a little on his feet. It almost felt like something was kicking and screaming to be let out.

His phoenix?

Everyone seemed to think the phoenix was a second ability, but it always felt more to Chanyeol like a separate entity that lived inside him. He had some sort of control over it, but when he unleashed the phoenix in battle, most of the time it ended up doing what it wanted. It was all he could do, sometimes, to reign it back in.

Was this the phoenix trying to get out? For what reason? What had sparked it all the sudden?

Chanyeol never told anyone, not even Baekhyun whom he trusted above all else, but the phoenix lent him a sort of personal feeling connection to Mama. He felt drawn to her life tree, not that he ever went with it so far in M’s territory. And once in a while he’d get strange dreams. He didn’t share his dreams with Baekhyun, either.

How was he supposed to explain dreams that made absolutely no sense? About a place that wasn’t Exo, with all sorts of things he couldn’t understand happening.

Another sharp beep came from his ear and Chanyeol sighed. Baekhyun was persistent. He always had been. He’d probably bother Chanyeol all day long if he didn’t answer and apologize for being difficult.

“I’m sorry okay?” Chanyeol tapped his ear and spoke. “I should try to be more understanding. I’m an insensitive jerk.”

“I already knew all these things, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol froze, trying to identify the voice. It certainly wasn’t Baekhyun’s, but there weren’t a lot of people who had his line, either. “Who is this?”

“The guy who saved your life, you insensitive jerk. You owe me a favor, and I’m calling it in.”

Sehun.

“This isn’t exactly a good time, kid. Not with the invasion happening right at our doorstep.”

Now he could place the voice to Sehun’s face perfectly. Sehun was the kind of guy who always looked a little smug, but had more than enough charisma to pull it off.

There was also no denying that Chanyeol did owe him his life, which meant a life debt, and a favor to be called in at any time for any reason. A life debt was a serious matter under any circumstance. And any way he looked at it, no matter how loose the kid’s control was of his power, Sehun had truly saved his life. The life debt was legitimate. If Sehun hadn’t been able to control the sudden windstorm more than a year ago that Chanyeol had gotten caught in, with enough time for Suho to pull his out, then there was no doubt in Chanyeol’s mind he would have been buried in the kicked up debris, or suffocated long before rescue crews could dig him out.

Chanyeol didn’t really talk to Sehun all that much, and it had been a couple months since the last time they’d exchanged any kind of communication, but there was something endearing about Sehun. It could have just been his age, or the way he tried to act like he didn’t really like people, failing miserably. In any case, Chanyeol really liked him, and a life debt was a life debt.

“Trust me,” Sehun said, the transmission crackling a little, “I know right now isn’t a good time. But I need your help with something really important. I need a ride, and you’re the only one who can get one for me.”

“A ride?” Chanyeol scoffed. “Do you have any idea how big a request that is right now?”

Sehun’s reply came immediately. “You’re in the capitol, Chanyeol. There have to be vehicles everywhere. Isn’t your life worth borrowing one of those for me?”

Chanyeol took a look around him, his vision stretching out past the military base. “Actually,” he said a little absently, trying to place the distant towns he could see in either direction, “I’m not at the capitol. And how would you even expect me to get a vehicle to you if I were?”

“You’re not at the capitol? Why not?”

“Suho needed me for something,” Chanyeol said. He squinted again at one of the towns in the distance. Was it the one he thought it was? “I probably won’t be back to the capitol for a while.”

He could hear Sehun curse on the other end. “I need a vehicle, Chanyeol. It’s imperative.”

“How important?”

There was a pause on the line, a lengthy one at that, before Sehun said, “Worth a full life debt. There’s someone who needs my help. A friend, apparently. I need to help him, and you need to help me help him.”

“Are you still in that little hovel of a town you call home?”

“Why?”

“Because I think I see you,” Chanyeol said, more certain that he was looking at the same area he’d almost died at. “I’m stationed at the military base fifteen or so miles away. It’s the same base you should probably be enlisting at.”

Sehun made a few colorful remarks, then said, “You know as well as I do that Commander Suho himself would have to drag me kicking and screaming to get me to enlist.”

Chanyeol headed for the tall building’s stairs right away. “I’ll borrow a military vehicle, okay? No one at the base is on the move, and it’ll probably be a few more weeks before a final inventory is taken, if any of us is still alive by then. You’ll have the vehicle back to me by then, right?” He hopped the stairs easily, pushing through the door at the ground level and ignoring a couple of fresh enlisters who saluted him right away.

Chanyeol was desperate to get out of his uniform. He didn’t think it suited him at all, and he hated the attention the stripes on the collar of his uniform garnered.

With a relieved sigh, Sehun said, “My friend and I will be waiting for you just outside of town. You’ll see us before you even hit the outskirts of town.”

Chanyeol crossed the military base quickly, trying not to draw any unwanted eyes to his position. He had full access to anything and everything on the base. Working in his favor was that he was expected to cooperate with the other officers on the base, not answer to them. But Chanyeol didn’t think for one second that Suho would appreciate what he was about to do.

Not that Suho needed to know.

“Sir?”

Chanyeol slid into the nearest vehicle when he reached the far hanger bay. He popped the engine button and listened to it purr to life.

“Sir?”

Chanyeol turned towards the maintenance worker. He was obviously young, and nervous.

“You know who I am?” Chanyeol asked, keeping his foot on the brake.

“I know, sir. But I don’t think the major would want you going off base, right now. He’s ordered a lockdown until all newly enlisted are processed, and they’re still arriving. He’ll be angry if he knows you went anywhere.”

Chanyeol scoffed. “The major is a giant baby who just wants people to take him seriously and pay attention to him. I’ll be back before sunset.” At least he hoped. He’d have to get a ride with one of the transports bringing the enlisted into the base. That wouldn’t be fun. “Pretend like you never saw me, okay? We’ll both steer clear of trouble that way.”

Then he was off, more than a little thrilled to be away from the base, even at the risk of being insubordinate. The wind in his hair, the sun on skin and the feeling of freedom was more than enough compensation for the lecture he’d get from Suho when his behavior eventually got back to the man.

Suho was likely put him on latrine duty for a month, and it would still be worth it.

There were two figures a half mile out of town, and one of them was distinctly Sehun’s tall, lithe form.

“We’re perfectly square now,” Chanyeol declared, jerking the vehicle to a stop just in front of Sehun and his companion. He slid out to stand on his feet and tried to get a better look at the so called friend that Sehun was trading in a life debt for. But the boy, and that was about all Chanyeol was sure about, was carefully keeping his back to Chanyeol and his face hidden. “I owe you nothing after this.”

Eyes wide, Sehun remarked, “I can’t believe you actually brought this.”

Chanyeol gave a small shrug. “You said you needed it, and that it was important, and that you’d wipe out the life debt. That’s good enough for me.”

Sehun gave a nod back in the direction of the military base. “Won’t someone notice this is missing? I won’t be able to bring it back for a couple of days.”

The man behind Sehun turned just the slightest, but it still wasn’t a clear enough picture of what he looked like.

“Call me when you’re on your way back,” Chanyeol said easily enough. “I’ll pick it up then. Plus, there’s a good chance you won’t even need to worry about bringing it back. M is on the move and they’re being quick about it. They may just decide to start flattening military bases on their way, and we only have so many.” Chanyeol gave a laugh. “The more I think about it, the less I should be concerned with that life debt.”

“M’s a little high strung right now,” Sehun said carefully, and Chanyeol watched him send an odd look to his companion. “But with any luck, they’ll settle down soon.”

Confused, Chanyeol posed, “Why would M settle down. Their favorite figurehead is gone, probably dead at his point, their prince has gone crazy over it, and apparently their king thinks this is a great time to try and wipe us all out.”

“We’re not all going to die,” Sehun said confidently. “Oh, but I really need you to promise me that you won’t tell anyone you saw me leaving. I think we got out of the town without being spotted, but just in case, you never saw us, we were never here, and no one has any idea that I’m not traveling alone.”

“Who is your companion?” Chanyeol asked, trying to peer around Sehun.

Things were getting more and more curious, Chanyeol noted, with the way Sehun deliberately moved to block his view, stating, “That’s not important. But we need to go soon. I have to get to M and K’s borderline quick, if there’s going to be any chance of stopping this.”

Chanyeol snorted, “Stopping this? What are you doing, Sehun? Going on some rogue mission for Suho to return the prince’s cousin to him to quiet M down? Newsflash for you, Baekhyun told me personally that Suho didn’t order the kidnapping. We don’t even know if he’s in K. M is just using this as an excuse to rally its people into supporting a final invasion. Nothing short of a miracle could end this.”

“I’m very aware of that.”

Chanyeol’s head cocked. It hadn’t been Suhun who’d spoken, but his thus far silent friend. “What?”

The man turned completely towards Chanyeol. “It will be a miracle if we get to my cousin in time to stop this, but no matter what, we will try.”

Chanyeol’s body was numb for a half second, and then with a terrible cry his back was arching and his phoenix was bursting loose.

“Chanyeol!” Sehun shouted at him, throwing himself back, over the one person Chanyeol had never expected to see in person in his lifetime. Luhan. Sehun was doing his best to protect Luhan from the phoenix. Impossible Luhan. “Get control of yourself!”

It was no good. The phoenix was out, his fire was blazing and Chanyeol realized his sudden loss of control had likely just killed the one person they needed to survive above everyone else. And Sehun. Numbly Chanyeol realized his burst of fire had probably killed Sehun, too. The ground was charred around them all.

“I apologize,” Luhan said, as if nothing life threatening had just happened, one hand out in front of him. “I didn’t meant to startle you.” Luhan stood slowly, dragging Sehun up with him, both of them perfectly fine.

“How are you two okay?” Chanyeol asked, grasping at his control, drawing his fire back in, but not before he witnessed how easily Luhan deflected his instinctive attack, both fire and phoenix meeting an impenetrable barrier.

Chanyeol’s phoenix circled above them for a little longer, then gave a loud, crooning sound and flashed out of existence.

“Sehun,” Chanyeol said carefully, watching the Sehun also process what they’d just seen Luhan do so easily. “Do you have any idea who you have with you?”

“Yeah,” Sehun’s head dipped. “I’ve got the cause of this war. That’s why I need the vehicle. I’m taking him back to his crazy cousin, so he can call off this invasion.”

Chanyeol stared at Luhan hard. “You were kidnapped.”

“It was a mistake,” Sehun cut in.

Luhan gave an agreeing nod. “Kai didn’t mean to. One of my personal guard interrupted us, he saw Kai as a threat, and when he tried to teleport us away something happened. I ended up here and it’s clear that my cousin took it as a kidnapping.”

Sehun wondered, tapping his chin, “Do you have a boosted signal at the base? Maybe we could just take Luhan there instead and have him contact the prince from there. Or would they take it as proof we’ve kidnapped him?”

“Wait.” Chanyeol took a bold step towards Luahn. “You know Kai?”

“Do you?” Luhan countered harmlessly. “Have you see him? I’m worried. We were separated and I want to make sure he’s okay. He could have ended up anywhere, if this is where I did.”

Behind them a lout alarm sounded from the base in the distance.

“What’s that?” Sehun asked, squinting against the sun.

Chanyeol slapped a hand to his forehead. Of course. “It’s the base’s alarm to brace for attack. They must have seen my phoenix. They’ll think M is here already and seconds away from attacking.”

Luhan turned to Sehun. “We need to go.”

“Are you crazy?” Chanyeol shouted at them. He focused a second later on Sehun. “We have to take Luhan to Suho right away.” Luhan might end up being a political prisoner, but at least they’d be able to prove to M that he as alive and well. It might buy them some time.

Luhan planed his feet squarely underneath him. “I am not going into to your Commander’s custody. I have to get to the life tree. I need to communicate with Mama.”

Chanyeol shook his head. “I can’t just let you go.”

“I don’t think you can stop me,” Luhan said simply.

It was something to consider that he’d been able to block the burst of Chanyeol’s abilities so effortlessly. He’d protected no only himself, but Sehun as well with a simple gesture and no obvious effort on his part. Neither had he retaliated when he clearly would have been able to. Frequent reports labeled the prince’s cousin as sickly and weak, and a low level telekinetic, but it seemed far from the truth now that Chanyeol saw him in person. Luhan was incredibly powerful and Chanyeol was a little terrified of him.

“He has visions,” Sehun said, already rounding the vehicle to the driver’s side. “He had one before I called you, and I’ve never seen anything like it before, Chanyeol. If he says he has to get to the life tree so he can talk to Mama, whatever that means, then I believe him. He has to go back to M no matter what, and Suho might not let that happen. We have the best shot at stopping the invasion, so you need to get out of the way now.”

Chanyeol watched Luhan climb in the vehicle after Sehun and the engine started up seconds later.

“You weren’t kidnapped?” Chanyeol asked again for clarification, leaning into the vehicle’s cab, his mind whirling. “You’re certain?”

“No.” Luhan looked pale, maybe a little ill, but more than strong enough to move Chanyeol out of the way physically if he delayed them much longer. “Why would Kai need to take what I offered freely?”

Chanyeol spun back towards the base, hands in his hair. “They’ll be out looking for you. K’s forces will spot you before you even make it halfway to the M boarder.”

“We have to try,” Sehun said.

Sehun wasn’t normally so impulsive. Chanyeol was certain of that, but Luhan was telekinetic, and not telepathic. There was no way the prince’s cousin was manipulating or forcing Sehun to act out against K. And this was treason, there was no doubt in that. There’d be charges if anyone found out that Sehun hadn’t taken Luhan directly to the nearest military base for transport to Suho.

So that only left one option, which was that Sehun really believed that Luhan could stop the invasion by simply being reunited with his cousin.

Or maybe Sehun had just gotten ered by Luhan’s face. He did have an exceptionally beautiful face.

“Move over!” Chanyeol demanded roughly, pulling open the driver’s side door. “In the back, Sehun!”

There must have been something about the authority in his voice that made the younger man comply right away, because without much fuss Sehun was in the back seat and Chanyeol was driving as fast as he could.

“What are you doing?” Sehun asked, bouncing around as the vehicle took a sharp corner.

“Getting myself convicted of treason,” Chanyeol said. He gripped the wheel tight. “Neither of you understand military search patterns, and I’ve spend some time in this area. I know the roads they’ll be following to look for me. They will be looking for me.”

“Then why don’t we just dump you on the side of the road?” Sehun suggested.

“We need him,” Luhan said gently.

“You do,” Chanyeol said with a firm nod. “I stand a better chance of helping you both avoid any military checkpoints we’ll hit along the way, and I’m probably the only one of the three of us that could get us through them if we do. Plus, the alarm sounded because someone at the base saw my phoenix. It only comes out when I feel threatened, specifically by someone else with abilities that either match or surpass my own. They won’t be looking for a group of people. We’re safer together.”

“Oh,” Sehun said, leaning back.

Chanyeol was startled by Luhan’s warm hand settling on his arm, and even more by his words, “That’s not what I meant.”

Sehun gave a rude sound from the backseat. “Is this where you tell me you and Chanyeol are best dream friends, too?”

Chanyeol’s eyebrows rose. “What?”

“We’re not,” Luhan said patiently, keeping his eyes on Chanyeol. “But Chanyeol is connected to Mama, Sehun, just like I am.”

“Excuse me?” Chanyeol asked. “What’s this about Mama?”

Luhan questioned, “Does Mama send you visions?”

Chanyeol barked out a laugh. “No way. I don’t even know if I believe in Mama. For all I know, she’s just this thing that people like you thought up to make the rest of us pretend to be better people. Maybe that so called life tree is just a really old tree.”

“No,” Luhan said definitively. “I can feel Mama’s influence in you, and I know you can feel it in me. Maybe you’re just too far from her life tree to experience her visions.”

What was he supposed to feel in Luhan? Annoyance? Maybe that was it. Only … he did have to admit, though just to himself, that he could sort of feel an odd buzz from Luhan where they were touching. It was barely there, and Chanyeol could have missed it easily, but it was also possible that the buzz was a reflection of them both having abilities. It wasn’t completely uncommon for people with abilities to react to each other.

Begrudgingly, however, Chanyeol said, “I really haven’t had any visions. But sometimes, once in a while, I have these weird dreams.”

“What kind of dreams?”

“Weird, like I said,” Chanyeol offered, taking them off road at the first chance. “People I know are there, and some I don’t but still seem to be friends with, and we’re all dressed weird, and speak another language, and we don’t know each other, but we do. See what I mean? It’s weird and confusing and we aren’t on Exo, that’s for sure, or some undiscovered part of Exo which is pretty unlikely because our planet is pretty damn small.”

With confidence Luhans said, “When you’re at Mama’s life tree, things will become more clear to you.”

“You think I’m going anywhere near that life tree?” Chanyeol wasn’t stupid. Well, his current actions begged that statement, but generally speaking he knew what would happen if he was caught in M’s territory. “I’m getting you as close to K as I possibly can, sending you on your merry way, and then I’m taking Sehun back to a place where people won’t try to kill him on sight, all the while I’m hoping that I won’t be decommissioned for doing what I think is right. That hope is dwindling by the second.”

Chanyeol tried to concentrate on the road after that, but there were so many questions running through his head starting with the one he had to ask Luhan. “How do you know Kai?”

Diplomatic relations between K and M had been over for years, so there was no way that Luhan and Kai had been meeting in any sanctioned kind of way. Neither did Chanyeol think that Kai would be Suho’s first choice in that department. The idea that Kai and Luhan could even begin to know each other was crazy.

“We met because fate cannot and will not be denied,” Luhan said, his words deceptively vague. “And Kai, if you claim to know him as you do, is not the sort to discriminate a friendship based on someone’s origin.”

Chanyeol asked him seriously, “Are you sure we’re talking about the same Kai?”

Luhan allowed, “He was a bit cold at first, but he warmed quickly.”

Chanyeol glanced at Sehun. “I’m really starting to think we’re talking about a different Kai. There must be two Kais who can conveniently both teleport.”

“I don’t really think that this is--” Luhan started to say, but Chanyeol cut him off with a sweeping hand motion. There was a beeping in his ear.

“Don’t say a word,” Chanyeol cautioned, then he tapped his earpiece. “Hello?”

“Chanyeol!”

He winced at the sound of Baekhyun’s voice. It was too tense, too worried, and it made Chanyeol feel too guilty. “I’m here.”

“What’s going on?” Baekhyun demanded. “We’re getting reports from the base you’re stationed at that you’re under attack! Someone sounded the alarm after seeing your phoenix. Are you okay? What’s happening? Your tracking bracelet says you’re heading away from the base.”

“Damn,” Chanyeol hissed, tearing at the silver bracelet fitted around his wrist. It took him longer than he wanted to get it off, then he tossed it out the window and replied to Baekhyun, “I promise I’m okay. Calm down. It was a false alarm.”

“What do you mean false alarm?” Baekhyun’s voice was still too frightened for Chanyeol to even begin to think about calming down himself. “Someone saw your phoenix, Chanyeol. We all know what that means.”

“Do not tell him anything,” Sehun warned.

Chanyeol glared at Sehun, then told Baekhyun, “There was no attack. I am fine. Can you just believe me when I say that?”

Baekhyun quieted. “What’s going on?”

“I got a lead,” Chanyeol said, leaning forward to look at the power cell reading of the vehicle. It had a full charge, and probably enough to take them close enough to M’s boarder to offload Luhan without stopping for a recharge. That was probably more luck than anything else. “A lead on the prince’s missing cousin. Tell Suho I think he’s alive, and I’m going to try and find him.”

“Those are not your orders!”

“No,” Chanyeol countered, “My orders are apparently to sit around a military base being useless and wait until Suho stops trying to be my big brother. I’m telling you, I may be able to end this invasion. If Suho has a problem with that, tell him to take it up with logic and reason.”

Quietly, Baekhyun said, “Your signal stopped. Did you ditch your tracker?”

Chanyeol pursed his lips, “Baekhyun.”

“Are you doing something dangerous?”

“Aren’t I always?” Chanyeol teased. “But Baekhyun, what I’m doing right now … it’s important. I have to do it right now and if it works, a lot of lives could be saved.”

If he didn’t get Luhan back to M, and if Luhan didn’t have a chance to talk his crazy cousin down from the invasion, something he seemed confident he could do, eventually M would roll into the capitol. Baekhyun was too close to Suho, both in their friendship and the importance of his job, to evacuate. If M reached K’s capital, they wouldn’t take prisoners. Baekhyun would die, and because of that, Chanyeol was willing to take any shot he had at stopping M.

Taking Luhan back to M could stop Baekhyun from facing death, and that was all Chanyeol cared about.

Baekhyun took an audible intake of breath. “Don’t you dare get yourself killed. Do you understand me?”

A smile broke onto Chanyeol’s face. “I understand.”

“I can only cover for you so much here,” Baekhyun warned. “Suho is going to get nosey very quickly and want to know where you are and what you’re doing. I can only contain so much information.”

“Understood as well.”

Baekhyun was the best. Chanyeol had no doubt about that. He was the most amazing guy Chanyeol had ever had the pleasure of knowing, and the way he still made Chanyeol’s palms sweat and heart beat faster after all these years was amazing.

“I love you,” Baekhyun said sharply. “Even when we’re fighting, and you’re running off to do something stupid, I still love you.”

Chanyeol thought about the first time they’d kissed, Baekhyun pulling him in tight and Chanyeol ducking down for the best moment of his life so far. They’d been so young, but so determined, and when Baekhyun had gone off to join the military and make a difference, Chanyeol had followed suit. They’d done everything together, and the more he thought about it, the more Chanyeol realized this was the first important thing that he was doing without Baekhyun.

Unwilling to feel bashful in front of Luhan and Sehun, Chanyeol cleared his throat and said strongly, “I love you, too. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Sehun poked Chanyeol in the shoulder as the call ended. “Is that Baekhyun? That better be Baekhyun.”

“Sit back,” Chanyeol grumbled out. “I’m irritated with you.”

Luhan, looking poised in his seat, and every bit the member of the royal family he was, told Chanyeol, “I will talk my cousin down. He’s thinking with his heart right now, not his head. I will succeed, because there are too many lives at stake here.”

Chanyeol confessed, “You’re not what I expected, Luhan. From someone from M, that is.”

“You haven’t been around a lot of people from M, have you?” Sehun questioned.

Chanyeol shrugged, “Only ones I’ve been around, I was killing at the time.”

The last bit of color drained out of Luhan’s face and Sehun eased out, “Not really appropriate in mixed company, Chanyeol.”

Baekhyun was always going on about how little tact he seemed to have. It seemed now to be a truth.

“It’s going to be a long drive,” Chanyeol said, “so get comfortable. And maybe, since you two seem to be believers, send a prayer to Mama that we’re not discovered by either M or K.”

“That,” Sehun agreed, “would be very bad.”

“We’ll get there,” Luhan said, drawing their attention. “If only because we have to.”

“That’s very reassuring,” Sehun said sarcastically.

Chanyeol rested his head back on the seat’s cushion. He’d be lucky to arrive at the borderline without having killed one or both of them.

However by the time night was inching forward across the horizon, and with Luhan sleeping peacefully in the passenger seat, Chanyeol was starting to feel better about his choice to come with them. He’d never really been a selfless kind of guy, relying on Baekhyun to keep him on the straight and narrow sometimes. But he was starting to feel a sense of purpose, or like he had crossed paths with Luhan on purpose.

He wasn’t saying he believed in Mama or fate, but he was keeping the thoughts on his mind.

Quietly, mindful of Luhan, Sehun brought Chanyeol out of the kind of daze he’d been driving in by asking, “Are those headlights?”

The sun was orange in their vision, still too bright to be more than a glare, and Chanyeol had to squint to make out what was ahead of them. They hadn’t run into any patrols or checkpoints that they couldn’t bypass so far, but he always figured their luck was bound to run out sooner or later.

“Maybe we’ll just pass them by,” Chanyeol said, not wanting to scare Sehun.

“Should we wake Luhan?” Sehun pointed out, “You and I both have only seen a little taste of his abilities, but I’m starting to think there’s a lot more under the surface. He’s … crazy powerful, Chanyeol. We might need him, if they don’t just drive by.”

Chanyeol held his breath as their vehicles approached each other. He was in no mood for a fight, but neither would he let anyone stop him from completing the task at hand. He would get Luhan home and end the invasion.

“They’re going to try and stop us,” Sehun said, already reaching for Luhan’s shoulder.

The lights ahead of them were veering into their path, and to avoid being hit Chanyeol had to slam on the breaks faster than anticipated. “Luhan!” he called out, watching the small boy jerk against the restraints holding him to the seat. “We need you up and ready.”

Sehun practically threw his door open, declaring, “Lets go show them who they’re messing with.”

Luhan blinked blearily. “What’s happening?”

“Trouble,” Chanyeol said with absolute certainty, then climbed from the car to face it head on.