not as the earth trembled and his roar echoed across the camp.
“I hope you have a strong stomach, little soldier!” shouted ShiShi. Then, without any further warning, ShiShi leapt through the hole.
And down, down they fell into the depths of Diyu, the Underworld.
Mulan clutched ShiShi’s mane with both hands, holding on so tightly she was sure her knuckles turned white. Not that she could see anything. She might as well have closed her eyes—the fall into Diyu was so dark she couldn’t tell whether they were actually falling, or whether ShiShi was bounding down an invisible tunnel.
It was probably a good thing she hadn’t had much to eat. Even with an empty stomach, Mulan felt her insides twist and roil as they fell.
Be strong, she told herself. Be strong for Shang.
She didn’t know how long she pressed her face against ShiShi’s stone head, for time squeezed and stretched. It was all she could do to gasp for breath as they careened down and down.
ShiShi landed on his paws with a thump. “Still there, little soldier?”
Mulan caught her breath and waited a beat for her stomach to stop churning. “Still here.”
The stone lion grunted, a sound that somehow indicated he was half impressed that she was still in one piece and half disappointed that the fall hadn’t terrified her. “Most men get sick on the way down here.”
I’m not most men, Mulan thought, but she kept quiet and climbed off ShiShi’s back. It was still dark, so it took her a long moment before she realized the change in ShiShi.
“You’re…”
Gone was his carved stone, replaced by a rippling coat of fur and a thick, coarse mane.
“Yes, yes,” ShiShi interrupted. “This is how I would appear if I were normally your guardian. I know, I’m magnificent. You can thank the magic in this place for letting you see me this way. Otherwise, not being a member of the Li family, you wouldn’t have the honor.”
Mulan rolled her eyes in the shadows. Even Mushu wasn’t this arrogant.
She dusted her pants and inhaled. The air was musty and dank, but it was warmer down here. After being in the snow for so many days, she had forgotten what it was like not to be cold.
Slowly, her vision adjusted to the darkness. Sharp, pointed stalactites hung from the ceiling. In the dim light, they glinted like iron knives, but when she reached out to touch one—
“Limestone,” she murmured. They were in a cave of some sort. “Is this Diyu?”
“Not quite,” ShiShi replied, in a hushed but harsh tone. Ahead, deeper into the cave, was a vermilion gate, its color somehow bright against the cave’s worn stones. ShiShi tilted his head toward it. “Move quickly now. It’s best not to be—”
“Seen,” Mulan whispered, finishing the warning for him. Shadows flickered from the near distance, and footsteps—that weren’t their own—shuffled in the dark. Her jaw slackened as she realized she and ShiShi were most definitely not alone.
A horde of monstrous-looking creatures surrounded them. Their eyes bulged like yellow moons studded with blood-red pupils. Some had horns, others scales or fur thick as a bear’s. Not one looked like another. Yet despite their beastly features, they stood on two feet and had two—or four—arms, almost like humans.
Demons.
“No trespassers,” they hissed, pointing their spears and swords at Mulan’s and ShiShi’s throats. “No trespassers allowed.”
ShiShi snarled at the demons. “I’m here on business.”
“No trespassers. All trespassers must die.”
“Well, I cannot,” ShiShi said with a sniff. “I’m actually made of stone.”
The demons were guards, realized Mulan. She flicked a glance at the gate’s two vermilion-painted doors. That had to be the way into Diyu.
“This one’s still living,” one of the demons said, staring at Mulan. White hair protruded from his inky blue scalp, and unlike the others, he carried two weapons. He sniffed her, and Mulan wished she still had her sword. “Still fresh.”
The rest of the demon guards turned to her now.
Great.
Surrounded, Mulan backed against the cave wall. Before the demons got too close, she leapt up and quickly twisted off a stalactite. She held the makeshift weapon above her head, ready to strike any demon that dared attack her. But there were so many of them!
They’re probably stronger than men, she thought, taking in their swelling muscles, their curved nails, their rotten yet sharp teeth.
“We’re here to see King Yama,” she shouted. “Let us pass.”
“No trespassers,” the demons repeated. “And especially no human trespassers.”
“Don’t you know who I am?” ShiShi thundered, whipping his tail back and forth to keep