“A sign. We’re close,” Kang replied. “Keep moving.”
Once more, they followed him. It didn’t take long to find the next grisly pole, or the one after that. “How could anyone do that?” Mulan whispered, the disgust in her tone undisguised as she stared at the skull. It seemed to stare back at her.
“They remind me of primitive huabiao,” Chuo said, leaning forward as another came into view just up ahead. When he caught Mulan’s confused expression, he explained. “They’re ceremonial columns typically placed in front of important buildings like palaces.”
“Or tombs,” Kang called from several feet in front.
Chuo shrugged. “Or tombs,” he agreed. “I think there’s a particular name for them, but I can’t remember what.”
Daocheng snorted from beside him. “You, not know something? Perish the thought.”
Chuo’s only reply was a grin.
Mulan mused over his words. “You think these things are markers?”
“I found the entrance.” Kang’s words had them dismounted and hurrying to his side. What seemed to be one marker was in fact two, placed directly in front of a large crack that went up twice the length of the poles.
It took Mulan a moment to realise that the crack wasn’t what it appeared; instead, it revealed a passageway wide enough for two men standing side by side, but the darkening light and the way the mountains stood actually hid it from sight unless someone looked at it from the right angle. “Wait here.”
“Yes, sir,” Daocheng muttered, a trace of bitterness in his tone, as Kang strode through the entrance. Mulan shot him a weary look. His mood since the river hadn’t improved with time.
After a minute, Kang returned. “I found the path that leads up.”
“What about the horses?”
“Bring them in.”
Frowning, Mulan grabbed both hers and Kang’s reins and led them in after him. Sure enough, a series of steps had been carved into the side of the mountain. Edges rounded by centuries of time and elements, the wide, flat steps seemed to follow the smoothest part of the stone.
Just to one side and attached to the rock itself stretched a wooden pole. Ensuring they each had enough space between them, Mulan wrapped the horses’ reins around it, grabbed her supply bag, and followed Kang up the first few steps.
As soon as her foot touched the rock, she gasped. Power circled her, lifting the hem of her clothes. But something seemed different about this magic than anything other she’d encountered so far. It felt older, more primeval. Mulan voiced her thoughts to Kang.
“You’re right,” he told her. “It’s as if this magic is before the time of the gods.” A high-pitched squawk caused them all to freeze and glance up. Several hawks circled around the mountain. “Or something else entirely.”
Daocheng stopped at the base. “I really have a bad idea about this,” he muttered, before taking the first step. They stared down at him. “I’ve heard stories about ancient mountain men who could change into beasts and birds. They’d venture down from hidden caves and raid surrounding villages for meat and wine.” Another squawk pierced the air and Daocheng flinched.
Kang scoffed and turned away. “Such nonsense. You shouldn’t believe everything you hear.”
Hugging the side of the mountain, and all too aware that there was nothing to hold onto, Mulan carefully placed one foot in front of the other.
Each step sent her heart thudding within her chest. Although she told herself not to look down, there were times when she lost the war with herself and glanced below. The ground stood terrifying far beneath her feet and it sent waves of bile racing within the pit of her stomach. If she slipped now, that was it.
As they climbed higher around the contours of the mountain, the air grew colder and thicker with ancient magic, and the sky darker. Caves carved by nature and the elements dotted the sides, each one causing Daocheng to scramble past as quickly and safely as he could lest a fierce mountain man grabbed him.
The hawks continued to circle, staying far out of reach, but their screeches reminded them they were still there. Each time Mulan glanced up at them, a shiver coursed down her spine. They gave the impression of dark omens, warning her not to go on.
But still they went on.
Onwards and upwards they marched, tracing the mountainside higher and higher. The air grew thinner and colder still, yet Kang continued to lead them up. Legs burning with exhaustion, Mulan was just about to collapse to the ground when Kang suddenly stopped.
A gap several meters wide abruptly stretched out from the end of the path. A wooden bridge that appeared at least a century old extended over the gap, providing the only way across.
Mulan braved a peek over Kang’s shoulder and wished she hadn’t. The drop went all the way down, and shadows drenched the bottom. “Please tell me this isn’t the only way,” she begged, despite already knowing the answer.
Chuo suppressed a chuckle. “Zhou Mulan, the fearsome warrior of Long Horse Drop, who fought to escape from the clutches of the dreaded Rouran sorcerers, and braved the Imperial Army itself ... is afraid of heights?”
Mulan punched him lightly on the shoulder. “I’m not scared of heights. Just of flimsy wooden bridges that could collapse as soon as I step onto it and send me plunging to my death.”
Pulling a face, Chuo shrugged. “Fair point.”
“Doesn’t matter if you’re scared or not,” Kang said, his matter-of-fact tone too calm for her frazzled nerves. “You’re still crossing it.” He shot her a questioning glance over his shoulder. “Unless you want to go back down and wait with the horses?” Mulan shook her head. “Fine. I’ll go first.”
Carefully, Kang placed a foot on the rickety old bridge. The wood creaked beneath the weight, sending Mulan’s heart fluttering wildly behind her ribcage. Silence fell thick and heavy. Even the hawks above ceased their annoying squawks as he slowly made his way over, his hands clutching the rope handrails. It seemed a lifetime until he made it to the other side.
Inhaling deeply, Kang turned in their direction and waved. “It’s safe enough.”
Exchanging dark looks with each other, Chuo ventured onto the bridge, teeth biting his full lower lip. As soon as he was halfway, Daocheng followed, leaving Mulan the last to cross.
Panic consumed every inch of her body as she reached out to grab the handrail. Beneath the sweat lining her palms, the rope seemed rough and strong, but that didn’t mean the rest of it was.
“Come on, Mulan!” Daocheng called.
She glanced upwards. They all stood on the other side, watching her.
Encouragement blazed within Kang’s dark eyes. “You can do it. Just look at me.”
Drawing in a deep breath in the attempt to steady her nerves, Mulan gave him the briefest nod. “Don’t look down. Don’t look down,” she whispered to herself. Keeping her eyes fixed on Kang, she placed a foot onto the bridge.
A creak shot through the air, sending a jolt to her heart, but she refused to look at her feet. Slowly, she took another step. The bridge wobbled and groaned. She forced her feet to move again, her eyes glued on Kang, nothing else. The edges of the world dissipated, the cold infused with the sweet scent of summer rain, and the mad rushing of her heartbeat in her ears faded to silence. All she could see, feel, hear, was Kang.
Gradually, his face came closer until he reached out to her, clutching her close to his chest. A second later, those hands cupped her face and his lips claimed hers for a hot second.
Kang’s head turned away from the bridge. “Let’s go.”
Two more hours passed. The chill in the air deepened, the sky darkened further, and another rope bridge did nothing to calm anyone’s nerves. Kang pointed up. “Look, there’s a cave just past that bridge. We’ll rest there for a while.”
A groan spilled from Mulan’s lips at the sight of the third bridge. It swung upwards at a sharp angle, the handrails fraying slightly in the centre. Resignation burned alongside exhaustion. The idea of rest, even for a li
ttle while, was the only thing that kept her going.
Chuo took the lead, his idiotic whistling trying to convey confidence but instead it just sent waves of irritation through her. As the bridge swung up, he was forced to pull himself up, using his feet between the slats as leverage. As soon as he got to the top, he shot her a smug smile that seemed a little frayed at the edges.
Kang followed, his movements much more confident, as if he didn’t have a care in the world, or that there wasn’t a bloody long drop if he didn’t fall.
Mind you, when you knew you could transform into a dragon and fly, it didn’t matter if you fell.
Not that she or the others had that luxury.
Daocheng placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Want to go next?” he asked, his tone as soft as his touch.
Mulan shook her head and tried to force her lips into something that resembled a smile. “You go first.”
Nodding, Daocheng stepped onto the bridge, his hand grasping the handrails as support. As soon as he reached the halfway point, Mulan began to follow. Refusing to look down and ignoring the rapid beating of her heart, she slowly made her way across, using Kang’s face as her anchor once more.
The slope of the bridge shot up at a much sharper incline than what it first seemed, and Mulan was forced to pull herself up using the boards and rope handrails to get across. Beneath her feet, the wood groaned deep and loud, and the bridge wobbled precariously. Terror seized her heart and froze her feet.
“You’re fine,” Chuo called, hands around his mouth. “Don’t worry. Keep going.”
“Tell that to my heart,” Mulan whispered, the rope biting into her palms as she gripped it with all the strength she possessed.
“Move it!” Kang ordered. “Both of you.”
Moving her eyes away from him, they found Daocheng only a few meters ahead of her now, his own form as still as hers.
“Mulan. Daocheng. Move it or we’ll leave you there!”
Part of her brain told her Kang’s words were an empty gesture, designed to do nothing but to force her to move, but damn it, they worked. Panic flooded her mind, compelling her to move.
She made it three paces before a loud creak split the air and the plank of wood beneath her feet broke away.
Terror exploded within her as she glanced down, splinters of wood fading into the dark shadows that wrapped around the bottom of her vision. Nausea filled her stomach, shooting straight into her throat.
“Oh fuck.”
Daocheng’s curses whipped her head up. A second later, another crack exploded in her ears and the board her friend stood on suddenly gave way. Clutching the handrail with all his strength, his feet dangled precariously in the air.
Mulan’s heart was a slow crawl in her chest at the sight. “Hold on, Daocheng!”
“I’m trying!” he called back, his voice laced with fear. His feet swung wildly, trying to find the next board.
Chuo raced towards the bridge. “We’re coming for you,” he shouted, but Kang stopped him. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“We can’t go out there,” Kang told him. “The bridge will snap. They’ll have to do it by themselves.”
Hearing the truth in his words, Mulan forced to breathe through the panic and pushed herself forward, making sure her grip on the rope was strong and trying to blot out the sound of one groan after another from down below. Why in the eighteen hells did we have to get on this damn thing?
She was only a few steps away when Daocheng’s fingers slipped from the handrail.
Terror painted his features white as he fell through the gap, his hands stretching above his head in panic.
“No!”
Screaming, Mulan lunged forward, falling face-down, her hands reaching out desperately. The remaining wooden boards shuddered beneath her weight.
Warm, sweaty fingers clutched onto hers, sending a surge of relief through her, blinding her to everything else.
Grimacing with his weight, Mulan sucked in a breath and tried to pull Daocheng up. “You’re not allowed to die on me,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Trust me, I don’t want to die either.”
Mulan gazed down, locking eyes with him. “Then get your damn arse up here.”
Daocheng’s mouth opened but an ear-splitting crack robbed him of his words. Mulan shifted her eyes up and felt the wood beneath her belly give way, leaving only rope and the chill of the wind biting into her body.
The world froze and sped up to dizzying velocities all at once. Kang’s eyes widened from where he stood, the horror on his face a reflection of her own.
The rope snapped.
Gravity ripped her hands from Daocheng’s as they fell. Fear shredded her throat with screams as the world disappeared into nothing but a sea of hot air and impending death.
How far would they fall before the ground shattered their bones into fine dust?
Then suddenly something grabbed her around her waist, pressing the scabbard against her side, and instead of falling, she flew up. Were the gods calling her to their heavenly home? Had she done anything that warranted such a reward?
A gasp from her right whipped her head around. Daocheng’s panic-stricken face glanced her way, his black air thrashing in all directions. Something glittered around his waist. Mulan’s eyes followed it behind him, then up. It took a second for her mind to register Kang’s dragon form and even more to recognise the giant claws clutching them both.
He’d saved them.
They glided up further until the faces of her friends materialised. The air caressed their faces with cool fingers as he sat them down beside Chuo who rushed straight at them, his long arms embracing them together. A shimmer of light and a surge of power raced through the air as Kang transformed back into human form.
Ripping Mulan from Chuo’s embrace, he swept her against his chest. “Don’t ever fucking do that to me again,” he told her in ragged breaths.
Sagging against his chest, Mulan’s trembling body welcomed the warmth of his. “I’m not in any hurry to do that again.”
After a few ragged breaths of her own, she stepped back and glanced around. They stood miles from the rest of the world but the peaks looming above their heads reminded them they were still far from the top. “It’s a pity you can’t use your dragon form to take us the rest of the way.”
Kang shook his head, his face suddenly weary. “It takes too much energy to keep transforming. Without adequate rest and food, I can’t do it often, so no one fall again.”
A long moment of silence passed. Mulan gazed across the gap; on the far side, one half of the rope bridge lay flat against the contours of the rockface. There was no going back the way they came.
Kang’s hand wrapped around her elbow. Glancing up, she watched as an eager look passed over his face. “I think I’ve found something.”
Leading her past Daocheng and Chuo, they walked a few meters up the pathway. Something stirred on the wind, a faint scent of pine and smoke. Something else, too. That familiar ribbon of power that seemed to wind itself through the mountain.
They came to stand in front of a cave, the mouth of which stood several feet wide and the height of three men. The rock appeared a darker colour, as if it had been burnt centuries ago.
The smell grew stronger.
They had to go through it. Something stood on the other side. Mulan could feel it in her bones.
Chuo and Daocheng came to stand with them, their exhausted faces just as confused. Chuo sighed. “We’re going in, right?”
Mulan nodded.
“Let’s hope there’s no more bridges to cross.”
She couldn’t agree more.
Slowly, they walked through the mouth of the cave. The air stilled, but the power grew. Daylight faded and the shadows intensified until Mulan couldn’t see past the end of her nose. Stretching her right hand outward, the rough curve of the cave wall was cold, but at least she could feel something.
Each step echoed back to the
ir ears, magnified by trepidation that sang through their veins at not being able to see where their footsteps took them.
Eventually, a pinprick of light cut through the darkness.
“Keep going,” Mulan whispered.
The light grew larger until it enveloped the world with such extent, it forced them to shield their eyes with their hands.
“Welcome, strangers.”
The feminine voice cut through the light. Mulan lowered her hand and squinted as she glanced around.
Green grass stretched beneath her feet, extending over a large open area. Weak beams of sunlight still fighting against the darkening sky glinted off dark grey rock that seemed flecked with some kind of crystal or quartz. Several buildings stood in the distance and chickens clucked and pecked at the ground. Silk draped over doorways carved into the rock. But what was so astonishing were the dozens of people standing, staring in their direction. “What is this place?” Mulan whispered, unable to keep the awe and confusion out of her tone.
“If you have to ask, then you don’t deserve the answer.”
Kang reached for her hand. “This is the village where Xuan Wu laid the first Tuoba to rest.”
“You are correct.”
Mulan swept her gaze towards the voice. A woman stood a few feet away, wearing simple grey clothes and an amused expression on her face. A few inches shorter than Mulan, she was at least fifty years older, her face etched with deep lines and her hair as white as snow. In her hand, she clutched a walking stick with a rounded head in the shape of a snake. “Who are you?”
The old woman gave her a smile. “My name is Na. We don’t bother using family names here. There’s no point since we’re all one family. Come, rest in my home. I’ve had food and beds prepared for you already.”
As she turned away, Chuo stepped beside Mulan. “How did you know we were coming, Grandmother?”
A chuckle spilled from Na’s mouth. “The hawks, of course. They inform us whenever anyone follows the path. Not that it happens often.”
Honour, She Obeys Page 31
