saying,” appealed Mulan.
“Then what?”
“That’s enough,” ShiShi said, finally speaking up. Mulan turned to the lion.
“Listen to her, Li Shang. Do not let your emotions overwhelm you. Whether she is Ping or Mulan, a true friend is rare.”
“ShiShi,” Shang growled. “You are my father’s guardian, not mine.”
“I am your guardian,” replied the lion. “You are being stubborn. Do not let pride blind you into forsaking your friend.”
“You trusted Ping,” Mulan said. “Why is Mulan any different?”
Shang turned away. He wouldn’t look at her. “I thank you for accompanying my guardian to find me in the Underworld.” His voice was distant, polite, as if they were strangers. “I relieve you of your duty here, and I discharge you from your obligation to the army. ShiShi and I will complete the journey out of Diyu. I ask that you find your own way.”
His words were like a punch to the stomach. Mulan paled. “Shang…”
“The penalty for impersonating an Imperial soldier is death,” Shang said coldly. “I don’t want to see you again. If I do, I’ll have no choice but to follow the law.”
Mulan’s chest tightened. Before she bowed her head, she thought she saw a flicker of emotion waver in Shang’s eyes. But he kept his chin lifted, and without turning back, he headed into the forest.
ShiShi rose to his feet and began to trail Shang, but he lingered for a moment, then went up to Mulan.
The lion took a deep breath through his nose. “Worry not. I will get him out of Diyu before the sun rises.”
She nodded. Mulan was afraid if she said anything else, her voice might break.
He paused. “Remember to follow the moon, little soldier.”
She waited until ShiShi and Shang were out of sight. Then she crumpled onto her knees, sinking into the dirt.
It hurt to breathe. It hurt, like someone had taken her heart and squeezed it dry. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes, but Mulan wiped them away with the back of her hand.
She wouldn’t cry.
What did I expect? That he’d learn the truth and then congratulate me for fooling them all? For being a girl strong and brave enough to fight alongside men?
Mulan sniffed again. No. But she had thought he might…understand.
He doesn’t. That’s clear as day. Who could blame him? I said so myself—all anyone expects of a girl is to be obedient and raise sons. Girls aren’t meant to go to war. Why should I have expected Shang to think differently?
Mulan dug her hands into the soil. The realization that she’d have to go home in disgrace made her chest tighten. So much for her dreams to bring honor back to her family.
Everything had fallen apart.
Not only that—if she was being truly honest with herself, she was disappointed.
I wish he’d understood.
She clutched at her chest and took a deep breath. It didn’t help with the pain, but it helped clear her mind.
Deep down, she knew Shang’s threat to kill her was just that—a threat. But she knew he’d meant what he said about never seeing her again. And that stung.
Mulan watched the dirt slip through her fingers, and then she got up. She had to keep moving. Even if she dreaded what her parents would think of her now, if she stayed here any longer she’d lose all hope of ever seeing them again.
It was dark. The moonlight was barely strong enough to breed shadows, and as she fumbled through the woods she wished she’d brought a lantern so she might see ShiShi’s paw prints in the dirt.
The trees swayed around her, and the wind picked up in strength, carrying a rush of leaves into the air. The leaves swept across Mulan’s face and arms, the teeth along their edges lightly scratching against her sleeves.
You lied to me, something whispered. You lied to me.
Mulan froze. “Shang?”
Shang… the voice echoed.
“The Hall of Echoing Forests,” Mulan reminded herself grimly. “Just what I need.”
Mulan shivered, ignoring the trees as they began to speak. Who are you? Ping? Who are you? I trusted you. Trusted…you…
She grimaced. If anything, the whispering trees made her move faster. “I have to get out of here.”
By now she’d lost all sign of Shang and ShiShi. They’d disappeared into the thick of the forest, leaving her alone with the trees. Cloaked in the shadows, the trees could easily have passed for monsters with barbed arms and swooping wings.
But they didn’t scare Mulan. As she made her way through the forest, it was loneliness that sharpened in her gut, not fear.
She’d grown