cocking his head at the vanished door. The lion’s sharp eyes focused on the black pillar crowning the top of the volcano. “There are stairs cut into that pillar that spiral upward. I’ll wager we have to climb it to reach the next level.”
Shang opened his mouth to say something, but orange light suddenly reflected in his eyes, followed by an explosive blast from the sky. Mulan spun, and her heels rocked back as a blast of fire hurtled down from the clouds.
“Take cover!” Shang shouted.
Mulan dove. If not for the River of Hopelessness thrashing above her, the fireball would have scorched her. Instead, it slammed into the river’s waters and sizzled with a hiss.
Shakily, she pulled herself to her feet. “What was that?”
“I don’t know,” said Shang. “It looked like fire falling from the sky.”
“Maybe it was just lightning,” ShiShi suggested, but his deep voice trembled.
“Maybe.” Shang waited. “It seems to have stopped.”
“I don’t think it was lightning,” Mulan said. “I’m beginning to think that warning was on the door for a reason.”
“Then we make for the pillar now,” Shang said. “Stay close behind me, and stay under the river.”
Mulan nodded, but she knew he was trying to sound brave for her and ShiShi’s sakes. Anyone could see that the River of Hopelessness would shield them only for a short while.
They’d have to make the best of it. Once they reached the volcano’s summit, the river wouldn’t be their shield at all. It’d be their obstacle. For on the summit, it no longer floated above; it slammed into the mountaintop, gushing across the mouth of the volcano. Even from where she stood, Mulan could hear the river cutting across the rock with enormous power, like a jagged piece of metal ripping through sand. She couldn’t see its waters swirling across the peak, not yet. But what she could see was the river spilling off the peak, cascading down into a great black waterfall.
The sight of it all prompted a new worry to crawl inside her gut.
The pillar was on the peak. If the river crashed there, it would likely obstruct their path. They might have to cross it.
Worry about that later, Mulan. We have to reach the top first.
Sweat prickled her neck and forehead. Her palms were warm, her gauntlets clinging to the backs of her hand. With each breath, the air grew thicker and thicker.
The smell of incense was long gone, but Mulan sensed something else in the air. “Do you smell that?”
“Smoke,” Shang murmured.
“And firewood,” added ShiShi.
The higher they climbed, the stronger the wind became. The path was rocky and steep, with boulders and storms of pebbles tumbling down as they went up. But after the Mountain of Knives, Mulan hiked up without much trouble. The only difficulties were avoiding the fireballs and not stepping into the glistening streams of lava.
Halfway up the volcano, they moved out of the river’s protection; it coursed left, looping higher into the clouds.
They’d need to be careful. Mulan covered her mouth with her hand, trying to shield herself from the gray snow spilling from the sky.
ShiShi had to shake his mane free of the stuff every few steps. “Confounded snow,” he growled. “Only in Diyu would it snow on a volcano.”
“It’s not snow,” Mulan said, catching a handful and sifting it through her fingers. “It’s ash.”
“Ash?” ShiShi sniffed. “There’s far too much to be ash. Next you’ll say all these rocks on the ground aren’t rocks.”
She bent to pick up one of the black sticks that’d started appearing all around them. At first she’d thought they were oddly shaped rocks, but as soon as she saw the skull—
“They’re bones,” she whispered. “Demon bones. What could kill demons in Diyu?”
She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
ShiShi sniffed. His round, golden eyes blinked, and he looked worried.
“What is it?” Shang asked.
“We should turn back.”
“You just said we couldn’t.”
“I changed my mind,” said the lion hastily. “Come now, let’s find another way.”
“We’re so close,” Mulan argued. The moon was nearly black. Only a thin crescent still glimmered in the sky. “We don’t have time to turn back. We’re almost there.”
“Listen to me, girl,” ShiShi barked. “You don’t want to face what is on the top of this volcano. Trust me.”
Another fiery blast sliced the air. The impact knocked Mulan off her feet, just missing her. The blast of fire smoked and sizzled, charring the rocks and bones with its heat.
Then came another burst, and another.
“Run!” ShiShi bellowed. “He’s seen us.”
“Who?”
Before Mulan could get her