As she pulled air into her lungs, she raised the jian high and swung it low, taking off his head with one slice. It bounced to the right several times, finally disappearing beneath a bush.
A wave of searing heat slammed against her back. Breathing heavily, she spun around, discovering a wall of black flames separating Prince Kang from the rest of the men.
Two bodies lay at unnatural angles on the ground beside his feet, drops of crimson splashed across his handsome features. His sword streaked through the air, striking and parrying the fourth Rouran with dizzying speed. It swept over his shoulder in a blazing circle and buried itself in the other man’s ribcage. The Rouran’s sword fell to the ground with a clunk.
Prince Kang yanked his blade out with a sickening squelch. The sword’s wielder collapsed beside it.
Heart pounding, Mulan raced over and skidded to a halt beside her commander. Behind the wall of black flames, their men tossed anxious glances their way, their words muffled. The searing heat forced everyone backwards.
Mulan glanced left and right. It seemed to go on for miles. “What do we do?” she asked, panic lacing her tone.
“Kill the one who conjured it.”
She turned back to him, her brows knitted together. “Huh?”
Tightening his grip on the hilt of his sword, Prince Kang stared back into the thick of the forest. “This magic only fades when the conjurer dies.”
Great. Another sorcerer to deal with.
And with a fucking forest to hide in, he could be anywhere.
Ignoring the pounding in both chest and ears, Mulan gripped the jian tight and spun her head around. Her ears strained against the relentless drum of her heartbeat for any tell-tell sign of an attack. Each second seemed a lifetime.
Then a pulse of energy hummed. A swish of air morphed into something more tangible and suddenly she was aware of being flung backwards. Pain blossomed over her back as it slammed into a tree and the edges of her vision greyed. A moan slipped out of her mouth and the jian fell beside her.
When the world righted itself, she watched Prince Kang stumble, his face etched with a mixture of surprise and pain as he fixed his eyes on her. Confusion wracked her mind. What was he doing? Then her eyes drifted lower, the hilt of a silver dagger buried deep in his side.
“Kang,” she breathed, horror staining her tone as realisation dawned. He’d pushed her out of the way to save her life.
Clenching his jaws together, he tugged the weapon from his side, the metal gleaming with blood. “Stay here. It’s me they want.” The words came out tight, gripped in red-hot pain and rage. He cast the dagger to the ground with a wince. “Fucking enchanted blade.”
Mulan had barely got to her feet when the air whistled with the hum of another blade. Grimacing, Prince Kang jumped to the side and hurtled back in the direction it’d come. “Stay here!” he called back over his shoulder, sword tight within his fist.
“Only my father can tell me what to do,” she yelled back as her feet sailed after him, ignoring the muffled voices of the others behind her. “And I never listen anyway.”
Together, they raced on, attempting to discover the sorcerer behind the black wall and the daggers yet the forest maintained his location. Hearts pounding, they finally came to a stop. Shadows cast a gloomy shroud over everything. Up ahead, a large pond glistened through the inky darkness, weathered grey rocks encircling its edges.
Grimacing, Prince Kang stepped towards it. “Now that I could use. Cover me.”
Confused, Mulan trailed after him, turning her head in all directions, listening for any sounds, any flash of movement from the corner of her eye. “What for?”
Dropping to his knees beside the spring, he gathered water in his hands and splashed it against his wound. A thread of power gathered, spreading across his body. “I’m a dragon.”
“Still confused.”
“One of the many things dragons can do is heal themselves using water, especially against enchanted weapons, and that dagger reeks of black magic.”
Mulan couldn’t help but be transfixed as the wound grew smaller and smaller with each drop of water that splattered over his side. Clear water turned to pink, trickling down his side, but the wound itself disappeared. A mixture of relief and fascination swelled within her chest.
A glimpse of silver appeared at the corner of her vision. “Look out!” she cried, rushing forward and shoving him out of the way. Cold metal wires dug into the soft flesh of her face, the net entangling her in its icy web, but Mulan’s eyes stayed fixed on Prince Kang.
Alarm stretched across his face momentarily as he fell forward, his arms outstretched. A sickening crunch resonated through the trees as his head smashed onto the rocks followed by a splash. The water’s surface wrapped around his body, her gut clenching and trying to force itself up her throat once disappeared.
Through the mesh of wires, Mulan could only glance out over the pond, waiting for him to burst out in a torrent of icy water, but as the seconds morphed into minutes, she realised the inevitable.
He wasn’t coming to rescue her.
“Fuck. We’ve caught the wrong one.” A disgusted voice from behind shoved her disheartened thoughts away.
Someone spat in agreement. “Huniuyu will not be pleased. That net’s magic. Only he can remove it once it’s been cast.”
“He’s going to be so mad at us.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have caught the wrong one. Look at this bastard – he’s not the prince.”
“I know he’s not the prince.”
“Then why’d you get the wrong one?”
“It’s not my damn fault -”
“Shut it, both of you,” came a third voice, thick with disdain. “We can’t get the net off without Huniuyu’s magic. Looks like this one’s coming with us.”
Mulan caught a glimpse of a black boot before pain rippled over her head and the world erupted into black.
Thirteen
The world returned in fragmented pieces that seemed to make no sense. Dark cloth spilled across the sky, the greyed edges of her vision crisscrossed with silver strands and beyond that, animal hides. Pain blossomed over Mulan’s head, wrenching a groan from her mouth as her eyes attempted to make out what was going on.
Eventually, she realised she was in a tent, still confined within the silver net. Carefully, she tried to roll over, but the silver wires restricted her ability. Bright sparks of pain erupted behind the backs of her eyes, forcing her to stop any movement and just lay there, panting through the pain.
What happened? Foggy memories of water and fighting floated to the surface of her mind.
“Great, the prisoner’s awake,” came a muffled voice, as if speaking through a closed door.
“Not for long.”
Something dark hurtled towards her from one side and she sank back into merciful oblivion once more.
SLOWLY, THE SWEET DARKNESS rolled from the corners of her mind, reintroducing her to pain. Mulan lay on her side, the ground hard and cold, her lips coated in something vaguely metallic. It took a second for her to realise it was blood, a moment more to recognise the outlines of a large tent.
How long have I been out? And why couldn’t they put me on a blanket or something?
A wince pulled at her features. Her entire body felt like it had just been dug up from the grave. From behind her, Mulan heard voices, but they sounded strange, distorted, as if hearing them beneath the ground.
“I don’t like this. Not one bit,” one said, the edge of fear creeping into his tone.
An exasperated sigh echoed around the tent. “I don’t like hearing you whine like an old woman, but I’m still having to deal with it.”
“Huniuyu is going to be so mad. What if he turns us to pigs for our mistake?”
“Then the camp will have us for breakfast. Now shut up. You’re giving me a headache.” The ring of something metal crashed on the ground.
The faint crunch of footsteps filled the silence that followed, and
Mulan forced herself to breathe through the pain. If she was going to get out of there, she was going to need all the strength she could get.
But how in the eighteen hells am I going to do that?
By any means necessary, she resolved.
The pacing stopped. “Do you think we’ll find it?”
“Huh?” A slurp resonated in Mulan’s ears and she forced herself not to lick her lips. How long had it been since she’d drank anything?
“The cave!” the first voice hissed, sounding clearer with each moment that passed. “The Tuoba ancestral cave.”
Confusion swam through Mulan’s mind at the mention of her people. She lay still, the need to know all-consuming.
The second guard sniffed in disdain. “There’s too many of us looking for it to stay hidden for too long. Besides, Huniuyu says we will, and I believe that old sorcerer. He’s never been wrong before. He saw in the sacred fires that the Dragon Prince would take the route through the Demon Forest. We’ll find the ancestral cave, destroy it, and destroy the Northern Wei kingdom once and for all.”
As the all-consuming pain ebbed away into a dull ache, bewilderment took its place. Like all Tuoba, she knew the legend; thousands of years ago, the first man had emerged from a cave and established the Tuoba people. Yet the location of that cave had faded into the murky depths of time, never to be revealed again.
Did the Rouran really believe that they could obliterate the great Northern Wei kingdom just by destroying some legendary cave?
“Wouldn’t it be great if we were the ones to find the ancestral cave.” A note of wistfulness entered his tone. “We could destroy it and claim the glory for ourselves.”
Guard number two gave a harsh bark of laughter and took another slurp of whatever he was drinking. “Yes, but we’d need a miracle. Even if we did find it, the khan’s sons would take the fame and reward themselves.”
Now this was interesting. The current khan was a man by the name of Yujiulu Wuti who traced his lineage back to the founder of the Rouran tribe, Yujiulu Shelun, who freed his people from slavery. Their lowly status had given rise to their derogatory name – the wriggling worms. For as long as Mulan could remember, the Tuoba and Rouran had been at war with each other. Yet, only a decade ago, Emperor Taiwu had given his sister, Xihai, in marriage to the khan. If she was right, the emperor had taken Yujiulu Wuti’s sister as his concubine to cement an alliance of peace between them. Some alliance, Mulan thought in disgust. It hadn’t worked. This war only proved that.
In her veins, Mulan’s blood ran cold. If the khan’s sons were searching for the Tuoba ancestral cave, that meant the khan himself ordered the mission.
And if they had Rouran sorcerers to aid them, then it was possible that they could destroy the Tuoba via the cave. Every drop of blood in her body turned to ice.
She had to get out of there and warn someone with the power to do something.
Escaping from the tent was the first step in accomplishing that.
Keeping her eyes shut, Mulan pondered how. The silver strands of the net remained tight around her limbs. An edge of power hummed from it even now. There would be no escape until this Huniuyu removed it. Although it was easier to breathe now and the pain not so intense, it still lingered in her body. Could she take down two Rouran guards and a sorcerer in her weakened state?
There was no choice; she had to.
Even with her eyes closed, she sensed the presence of someone towering over her. The toe of a heavy leather boot kicked her in the rib. A wince spilled across her face automatically. “Looks like the prisoner’s awake and playing dead. How much do you think he heard?”
Please no.
The sound of someone rising to their feet resonated in her ears. “Too much. Not that it really matters anymore.”
Mulan drew in a shaky breath and opened her eyes. Two faces filled her vision; a light scattering of dark hair spread across their lower faces, their mouths set in scowls, before a fist shot out, sending sparks erupting across her eyes.
Each second stretched into infinity as they pounded her flesh with their knuckles. The leather armour still encasing her upper body offered some protection, but not enough. Cries ripped from her mouth under their assault. A foot pressed against the small of her back forced her on her front, and the confines of the net stopped her from striking out. All she could do was take each blow until once more, oblivion welcomed her into its painful embrace.
WHEN CONSCIOUS RETURNED her to the land of the living, Mulan wished it hadn’t. Every inch of her body cried out for the darkness once more. A silent tear spilled out of one eye.
Slowly, she peeled back her eyelids and found herself staring into the dark. It took a moment for her mind to process the taste of dirt on her spilt lips, mingled with the foul taste of blood. Breath came in short, shallow pulls but her lungs welcomed every single one, even if her body ached under the effort.
Behind her came the sounds of muffled laughter and drinking. Despair raced alongside the pain. She wasn’t getting out of this alive.
The rustle of animal hides and the scent of mutton informed her someone else had entered the tent. Two sets of feet hurried to stand. “Why is there a lowly soldier laying before me and not the Prince of Qin?” The words were soft but held an edge of steel to them.
Mulan heard a gulp even through the pounding of her head. “This one pushed him out of the way just as we dropped the net,” one said, fear coating his tone.
“Idiots! Your mission was simple. Allow the sorcerers to cut off the prince’s men, wound him with the enchanted dagger, and lead him to the pond. All you had to do was wait until he started to heal himself in the water and capture him with the net. A five-year-old could’ve done your job.”
“We’re sorry, Huniuyu,” the other said, the words trembling. “It was a mistake.”
“No, the mistake was letting a pair of fools like you take this mission.” Energy gathered in the tent and suddenly pulsed through the air. Mulan’s throat clogged with it and suddenly it was hard to breathe again. Grunts of pain echoed through her ears alongside the sound of writhing on the floor. Looks like Huniuyu’s giving them a taste of his own medicine.
A sigh of exasperation breathed on the air. “I don’t tolerate failure.”
“We won’t fail you again, I swear,” a voice grunted, his voice little more than a pant. “He’s heading west. We’ll get the dragon prince if it’s the last thing we do.”
He’s still alive! Relief swam through her chest at the words.
“Yes, you will. Because if I don’t deliver the prince on time, then the agreement with our benefactor is void.” The sound of footsteps cut through the silence and then stopped beside where Mulan lay. “I shouldn’t have to stress how unhappy that would make me.”
“No, sir. We’ll get him, but we, err, need the net.”
A snort shot around the tent. “Very well.” A spark of power pulled at the air and then evaporated in an instant. The hum of energy wrapped around each string of the net faded. “Kill the soldier and dump the body somewhere. We’ll be leaving for Pingcheng soon, then heading north to Bingzhou.” Mulan heard the rustle of hides and a cool breeze flowed in. “Don’t make me regret giving you a second chance. There will be no more.”
As the sound of footsteps walking away disappeared, Mulan’s heart pounded in her chest with a mixture of hope and pure fear. If she could get to him, she could warn him about everything.
But with two Rouran ready to kill her, that was going to be tricky.
After a minute’s silence, one began to speak. “Take care of the prisoner. I’m going to get something to eat.”
“Why do you get to go?” Outrage stained the other’s tone.
“Because you’re the one who dropped the net too early,” the first hissed. “Besides, I’m older.”
“Like that’s fair.”
“Fair would be not having to work with you all the fucking time. Look, just get the net off, kill the bastard, and dump the b
ody in the woods. I’ll be back soon.” The swish of material and the fading of retreating footsteps echoed in time to the fearful pump of Mulan’s heart in her ears.
This was it. There was no more time to waste on pretending to be dead.
Curses filled the room as the lone guard stepped her way.
Wait for the right moment, she told herself, sucking in another breath.
Hands pulled at the net and the silver material slithered down her body, freeing her head and upper torso first, followed by her legs and feet. With the last strings gone, Mulan inhaled a deep breath and gathered all the strength her battered body could muster. Opening her eyes, she lashed out with her feet, striking the guard in his knees, forcing him to stumble backwards.
Surprise coloured his face for a brief moment before morphing into anger. Flinging himself to the ground, his fist pummelled into her gut as she attempted to scramble to her feet. Pain radiated from the impact, sending a fresh wave of agony through her body. Unable to move, the next blow landed on her jaw and sent the back of her helmet-covered head bouncing off the dirt floor.
Dark spots danced before her eyes.
“I’m going to kill you for that,” he hissed, his face screwed up with pain and shaking his hand. Drops of blood splattered onto her cheeks. “But first I’m going to see how many times it takes for me to hit you before you pass out for the fourth time in half a day.”
The world still hadn’t come back into focus when Mulan felt fingers reaching for the straps of her armour. She pulled in one shaky breath after the other, breathing through the pain and dizziness. Out the corner of her eye, she spied a dagger.
Suddenly the fingers stopped, the leather rolled off her chest, and she heard him gasp. “Well, fuck me. When did the Tuoba start enrolling women in the army? Do they lack the balls to face us?”
Honour, She Obeys Page 15
