see Shan-Yu, though—
“Ping!” someone shouted. “Ping, is that you?”
Mulan scanned the crowd ahead, recognizing the voice of one of the soldiers that had been in her regiment only yesterday. She hadn’t been close to him, as she was with Ling, Yao, and Chien-Po, but Captain Li’s intense training had created a bond among all his recruits. She jumped off the rock, her voice tight with emotion. “Xiaobo?”
He looked the same as always, a thin black mustache slanting down to the sides of his chin and a defined bulge protruding from the belly of his armor. He turned around so she could see the arrow in his back. “Got shot by a Hun.”
“I’m so sorry,” Mulan whispered.
“Don’t be.” Xiaobo shrugged. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. Besides, I’ve got Lei and Xing to keep me company.”
He stepped to the side so Mulan could reunite with two more soldiers from her regiment. In spite of the smiles they wore when they saw her, they too had been felled by arrows. Her chest grew tight.
We left the mountain pass so hastily, we never grieved for our comrades who died in battle. Too many. She glanced at Lei, Xiaobo, and Xing. I barely got a chance to get to know them.
“You look like you just got here,” Lei remarked. “Don’t worry, we’ll catch you up to speed.”
“All these Huns keep popping up in line.” Xing cocked his head back at Huns behind them. “Hundreds of them, all shivering—like they got buried in the snow.” He elbowed Mulan, a conspiratorial gleam in his eye. “Does that mean what I think it does?”
She nodded slowly. “They ambushed us, but we managed to defeat them.”
Xing’s face lit up. “Yes! I knew we’d win.”
Unlike his friends, Lei didn’t look thrilled. He stared at the arrow lodged in his belly. “Ping, did you die in the battle, too?”
Mulan decided it was best not to answer that. “I need to speak with King Yama,” she said carefully. “Are you waiting for him as well?”
“Yes, and it’s the worst.” Xing shuddered. “I was pretty good when I was alive—I think. I never overate my share of rice, never gave my ma any trouble, and didn’t cry or curse when I got conscripted. Or when Captain Li Shang slapped my knuckles during training.” He winced. “That really hurt.”
Lei rolled his eyes. “I just hope I won’t have to stay too long in Diyu. I’d rather go back to Earth as a cockroach than wait in line any longer.”
The line finally moved, and Xiaobo, Lei, and Xing inched forward.
Xiaobo let out a sigh. “We’ve already waited all day, but we’re still way back in line. From the looks of it, we’re going to be here forever.”
Mulan glanced up at the moon, still faintly visible high above. I can’t wait forever. I only have until the morning.
“I’m glad I got to see you fellows,” she said, about to rest a hand on Xiaobo’s shoulder. Remembering he was a ghost now, she drew her hand back.
“Ping, where are you going?”
“My business with King Yama can’t wait,” she replied, and pushed her way forward up the gently sloping hill. Stealth was not a skill Captain Li had drilled into them during their training, and Mulan was grateful for her light-footedness and smaller figure. The shades didn’t pay any attention to her. They were busy talking to one another, and there were more than a few reunions—some happy, some not so friendly.
Her goal was the dais on the top of the hill, furnished with a wooden table piled high with scrolls and books. Was it King Yama, or one of Yama’s minions sitting behind the desk? The books blocked her view.
A commotion broke out ahead, and Mulan saw a lion’s tail angrily whipping about.
“I am not cutting the line! I may rightfully go to the front, because I am not dead!”
“ShiShi!” Mulan muttered, angling her way through the crowd toward the immense lion.
ShiShi grunted when he saw her. “There are you, little soldier.”
“I thought I told you to wait in line.”
He looked at her sternly. “One doesn’t sneak into King Yama’s throne room. One strides in proudly and with dignity.”
Mulan cast a sidelong glance at the demonic guards standing along the line. “I don’t think that’s a good idea—”
“King Yama!” ShiShi shouted, his deep voice reverberating across the hollow chamber. “I am the great guardian of the Li family, and I am here regarding an urgent matter. I request an audience with you. King Yama!”
No one responded except the