yet so far.
At best, it was two days’ journey. But for Shang, each hour was a battle to live. She could hear the pain in his breath; she could see it whenever his chest rose and fell.
“Chi Fu was right,” she said wretchedly. “This is all my fault.”
“Don’t listen to that catfish,” Mushu said. “Chin up. You’re strong, and you’re smart. Heck, you defeated an army of Huns. You’ll get the captain through this.”
“I hope so.”
“Keep talking to him,” Mushu suggested. “Make your voice soothing, like a good cup of tea.”
Mulan rolled her eyes, but she desperately wanted to believe the dragon’s words.
“You can make it, Shang,” she said to the captain. She touched his arm, then clasped his hand, warming his cold fingers with her own. “Whatever battle you’re fighting in there, I’m going to help you.”
“That’s it,” Mushu encouraged. “Keep going. Maybe you should give him a little kiss.”
“Mushu!”
The dragon shrugged. “Hey, it works in all those folktales.”
“That’s enough,” she said, turning away so Mushu wouldn’t see the blush creeping across her cheeks. Of all the crazy ideas! “Let him sleep.”
For a moment, Mulan was glad Shang was unconscious and probably hadn’t heard the dragon’s suggestion to kiss him. She squeezed his hand again. “Sleep, Shang. We’ll catch up with the others soon.”
They couldn’t be more than an hour from the bottom of the hill. She tugged on Khan’s reins with her free hand, but the horse wouldn’t budge. Khan whinnied.
Then—
Shang’s hand grew warmer, and his breath steadier.
Mulan jolted, relief swelling in her heart. “Shang?”
“Is it morning already?” he rasped, coughing.
“You’re awake.” Mulan instantly dropped his hand, remembering that he was her commanding officer. She fumbled for her canteen. “Here, have some water.”
Shang tried to sit up.
“Easy,” she said. “You’re on my horse.”
Shang winced, then laid his head back down on Khan’s neck and let out a groan. “Where are we?”
“Half a day from the Tung-Shao Pass. Maybe less.”
“Where are the others?”
Trust Shang to get straight to business, even when he was critically wounded. “Up ahead. Not far.”
She paused, already dreading the answer before she asked, “Is the pain better?”
A shadow passed over Shang’s face. Suddenly, he looked vacant and lost. “Is my father here? I heard him speaking earlier to Chi Fu. Tell him I’m almost finished with my training.”
“Your father? But Shang, your father is—” Mulan stopped. Shang knew his father was dead. Chien-Po had found the general’s helmet on a battlefield, strewn with the slaughtered soldiers of General Li’s army. Shang had taken his father’s helmet and hung it on his sword among the fallen in the snow. They’d all respectfully watched him do it. “Shang?”
Mulan put her palm against the captain’s cheek. His skin burned with fever, much hotter than before. “Shang, wake up.”
Mushu crept to Shang’s side and waved a claw in front of the captain’s face.
“I don’t want my father to see me like this,” Shang mumbled. He blinked drowsily. “Is that a snake on my stomach?”
“Who are you calling a snake?” Mushu said, offended.
Mulan snatched Mushu away. “Leave him alone,” she whispered through gritted teeth.
“You might want to take a look at him,” said Mushu. “Um, his eyes are looking glassy, and his skin’s red. He’s not looking too hot. Well, if you want to be totally accurate, he is looking hot—”
“Yes, I know,” Mulan interrupted, a note of panic in her voice. She slipped off her horse and dragged Shang off Khan’s back, lowering him onto the snow with a grunt. She peeled off the blankets Chien-Po had wrapped over his body, then gently lifted his head and carefully dribbled the water from her canteen through his parted lips.
“Shang,” she said, tapping his cheek with her fingers. “Shang, it’s Ping. I’m here. Wake up. Talk to me.”
Shang’s head bobbed to the side. “Ping?”
“Yes,” Mulan said. “I’m here.”
“You know,” he murmured, “I was so frustrated with you at first.”
Mulan tilted her head.
“You were the worst soldier I had ever seen, Ping. Do you remember? Always last in every exercise. You couldn’t run, you couldn’t shoot, you couldn’t fight. I was so certain that you were completely unsuitable for war—I sent you home.” Shang let out a dry chuckle, and for a moment, his eyes opened. “And yet, you surprised me.”
Mulan inhaled. Good, good. Keep him talking. “Surprised you how?”
“You worked hard,” Shang continued. He sounded far away, almost delirious. “You got better, and you got smart.” He closed his eyes. “No, you were always smart. I didn’t see that at first.