Honour, She Obeys

by L. S. Slayford

  Reaching within the coffin, Kang lifted the disc from its skeletal cradle and held it up for all to see.

  Mulan could feel the power that resided within, but it felt light, like a caress of wind over bare skin in the height of summer. It seemed hard to believe that she stood in front of the legendary Jade Emperor’s seal, a device that could lock and unlock such force it could destroy the world, but no one could deny the power it contained.

  Walking over to her side, Kang reached up and pulled one of the leather cords free from his hair. Within seconds he threaded the thin material through the hole in the top of the seal and placed it around Mulan’s neck. Warm fingers brushed the delicate skin, sending ripples of heat through her at his gentle touch.

  “Xuan Wu said honour flows through you like no other,” Kang said, his tone seductively low and soft, not bothering to remove his hand. “You should be the one to keep it safe.”

  Mulan’s gaze swept up, one hand resting on his wrist. The scent of summer rain infused the air around her, his brown eyes a dark lake in which to drown in. Without thinking, she rose on tiptoe and brushed her lips against his.

  As she stepped away from the embrace, she caught Daocheng’s disheartened expression before he quickly turned away. Guilt stabbed a hot blade in her heart. She couldn’t love him the way he wanted her to, the way he deserved to be loved.

  Suddenly, a surge of power ripped through the air, causing the three statues to squeal.

  “Oh, no!”

  “Oh, my!”

  “Oh, heavens above!”

  Kang rushed over. “What’s going on?” he demanded.

  The middle statue covered her tiny cheeks with her hands, her expression twisted with fear. “Sorcerers, worthy ones. They’re breaking in.”

  “They’ve already broken into the tomb, silly girl,” the third statue said, swinging her parasol in her sister’s direction. She turned to Kang and the others who quickly joined him by his side. “They’re in the Hall of Illusions.”

  She must be referring to the place where those apparitions appeared, Mulan thought, panic fluttering within her chest. “We need to get out of here,” she told Kang.

  Nodding, his eyes turned dark. “But we can’t go the way we came.”

  Chuo shook his head. “We can beat those worms,” he told him, his tone edged with steel.

  “We’re exhausted and even if we did overcome the sorcerers strong who enough to break in here, we’ve no idea what’s waiting for us on the other side. No, we can’t risk it.” Kang turned back to the statues. “Is there another way out?”

  The first statue nodded frantically. “One way, but it’s dangerous.”

  “We’ll risk it. Where?”

  “Through there.” She pointed behind them.

  Mulan’s heart plummeted. “Through the coffin?” she asked, aghast.

  “Below his body you will find a secret entrance. The way isn’t easy, but it takes you all the way down to the base of the mountain.”

  Kang and Mulan raced back to the coffin. With a deep breath and a hesitant glance her way, they pushed the lid the rest of the way, the stone hitting the floor with a deafening crash. Tiny clouds of shattered stone wafted around their legs. Carefully, Kang reached within the coffin and lifted the skeletal remains from its not-so final resting place, placing them on the floor beside it.

  “We shouldn’t be touching his bones,” Daocheng breathed, horror lacing his tone as he stared at them. “It’s sacrilege.”

  Chuo hurried to the platform and stared down at the remains, his face ashen. “I’m with Daocheng on this one. This isn’t just any old body. It’s our ancestor’s body. The father of all Tuoba. Evil spirits will haunt us if we desecrate his tomb anymore.”

  Kang pulled an exasperated expression as his fingers searched the dark pit. “I’ll take the risk.” A click resounded through the air and the exasperation morphed into excitement. “There’s a trapdoor at the bottom.” Using all his strength, Kang struck it, the sound of wood creaking beneath the force of his blow.

  “Hurry,” the statues called. “They’ve entered the Hall of Immense Strength and Wisdom.”

  The last chamber.

  Finally, with a loud crack, the wood gave way. Mulan peered over, a dark tunnel appeared beneath the floor of the coffin, sloping down. A sense of uneasiness bubbled within the pit of her stomach. What lay beyond, she didn’t know, but part of her didn’t want to find out.

  Kang nodded towards Chuo. “Let’s go,” he told him in a tone that brokered no argument.

  Chuo didn’t bother to hide any doubt. “I don’t know. It’s awfully dark and we have no idea where it leads.”

  “Shut up and get your arse down there. That’s an order, soldier.”

  Inhaling a deep breath through his nose, Chuo swung his legs over the side of the coffin and pushed down. A second later, the darkness swallowed him whole, his shouts trailing behind until they, too, vanished.

  Kang gestured towards Daocheng. “Your turn.”

  Slowly, Daocheng shook his head. “It’s blasphemy to touch a dead body,” he breathed, his voice breathy and high-pitched.

  Muttering curses, Kang strode over to him. “I’ve killed men for less shit than this,” he said, throwing him headfirst into the stone coffin. Daocheng’s screams echoed behind him as the shadows wrapped around his body.

  “Worthy ones,” the statue painted in orange flames called. “The sorcerers have escaped the hall. You must hurry.”

  Kang turned to Mulan. “Do I need to push you, too?”

  A dark grin pulled at the corners of her mouth. “No, sir.” Taking one last breath, Mulan jumped over the sides of the coffin and through the gap, allowing the inky depths of the unknown to envelop her.

  Thirty-One

  Cold air blasted Mulan’s face as she slid at lightning speed down a tunnel barely wide enough to contain her. The smooth walls allowed for an easy ride, but thick shadows blotted any sense of direction. Twisting and turning, only the echoed cries and shouts from the others both in front and behind told her that she wasn’t alone in the darkness.

  Coiling through the rock like veins and arteries through a body, time lost all meaning. It could’ve been a single moment or an hour for all she knew. Mulan’s stomach lurched each time the tunnel threw her sideways, and she couldn’t contain her own gasps.

  Then suddenly the darkness thinned, and Mulan collided with something soft, knocking the wind out of her lungs with a startled cry.

  “Get off me,” Daocheng grunted, attempting to roll away. Blowing the strands of hair blinding her vision, Mulan glanced up only to find she’d smacked straight into him. From the look of pain on Chuo’s face, it appeared he’d cushioned everyone’s blow.

  A dull ache bloomed over her back as something crashed into her from behind. Two legs materialised around hers, and hands gripped her hips with enough force to know they would leave bruises. Grunting, Mulan braced herself as much as she could but still her feet smacked into Chuo’s head. “Sorry,” she whispered, wincing at his expression, as Kang steadied himself behind her.

  “It’s a good thing I love you like a sister,” he muttered, rolling to the side, his face screwed up. “Only a sister could get away with causing me this much hassle.”

  Kang rose to his feet, offering Mulan his hand. The world shook a little as she steadied herself, but once she’d checked her jian was still strapped to her side and the seal secure around her neck, she glanced around, taking in their new surroundings.

  The tunnel had swallowed them in darkness only to be spat out in what seemed like the belly of the mountain. A large empty space stretched out in front of them, the walls rough and etched with marks time had yet to wash away. The same tiny crystals embedded in the stone above pulsed with a soft glow, providing just enough light to see. Above their heads, rock formations spread over like mushrooms and along the sides resembling eerie waterfalls. Directly opposite them stood a tunnel. It appeared to be the only way out. Mulan took
a deep breath. The cool air caressed her cheeks, holding a soft edge of power to it.

  The faintest sound of weapons wafted from the mouth of the tunnel they’d just been expelled from.

  The Rouran sorcerers weren’t far behind.

  Exchanging wary looks with the others, their faces mirroring her own anxieties, Mulan made towards the tunnel on the other side of the chamber. “Definitely time to get out of here.”

  “No arguments from me,” Chuo quipped, hot on her heels, the others only seconds behind.

  They ran. Just wide enough to fit a single person, the tunnel sloped down at a slight angle. Chuo took the lead, with Mulan and Daocheng following. Somewhere in the distance Mulan heard water dripping. It must be the source of the river Na mentioned, she thought, trying to swallow the lump of unease at leaving the villagers to the mercy of the Rouran now lodged in the back of her throat. She told herself it couldn’t be helped, that the safety of the seal was all that mattered, but it didn’t stop it from expanding.

  The magic infusing the air grew thicker as they raced through the tunnel. In the semi-darkness, Mulan recognised several more spirit columns, the bone white skulls grinning at them each time they rushed past. Na may have claimed they protected the them, but it didn’t mean that Mulan didn’t find them disturbing.

  It also meant that if the Rouran found and destroyed them, the village would be even more vulnerable. “Shouldn’t we hide them or something?” she called out to no one in particular.

  “No time,” Kang shouted from behind, bringing up the rear. “They’ll just have to take their chances.”

  Mulan’s lungs cried out for more air than the shallow pants she drew in as she continued to run. Limbs trembling from exhaustion, a thin layer of sweat coated her skin.

  After what seemed a lifetime, they finally came to a stop when the tunnel spilt into two, resembling a giant stone snake’s tongue. Bending over, hands on their knees and sucking in one mouthful of air after the other, they glanced at each entrance, uncertain.

  “Which way?” Daocheng panted, the sweat dripping from his brow onto the stone floor.

  Kang stepped forward, his eyes scanning the passageway for any clues as to what path to take. “I don’t know,” he eventually admitted.

  “Maybe we should split up?”

  Mulan shook her head, Daocheng’s suggestion sending waves of apprehension through her stomach. “No splitting up. It’s too risky.”

  The air carried the faint sound of muffled footsteps behind them.

  Kang’s sharp intake of breath echoed off the walls. His fingers clasped Mulan’s wrist. “Too late. Chuo, Daocheng, take the left tunnel, we’ll take the right. Hopefully we’ll meet at the bottom. If we’re not there, take the horses and run.”

  Chuo turned to him, his features strained. “Surely Mulan’s right. We shouldn’t -”

  “Until you’ve been formerly discharged, I’m still your commander. Now get down that fucking tunnel!” Kang snarled, yanking Mulan forward into the right passageway, giving her only a brief second to watch her friends disappear, no chance to say anything.

  The tunnel sloped down further than the previous one, but the crystals glowed brighter, giving them more light to see where they were going. The sound of water grew stronger, and the footsteps behind reverberated through the air, but Mulan knew they didn’t belong to her friends.

  After several minutes’ constant running, they finally found themselves at the edge of a huge underground river. Easily thirty feet wide and as dark as a cloudy sapphire at midnight, the current was so strong that the white foam danced and twirled on its surface to the piercing roar of the water echoing off the walls. The water flowed east, disappearing into the shadows of a tunnel ahead. A high ceiling bowed over it, with twisted rock formations warping in all directions.

  Dread sliced through Mulan’s heart. Swimming in the still waters of the river back home tended to be a nerve-wracking experience at the best of times and she had no idea how she’d managed to save Digan from the bottom of the river in the capital. Jumping into this fast-flowing river was the last thing she wanted to do. “I can’t go in there. I’ll drown,” she stammered, shaking her head, fear coating her words.

  Kang’s hands gripped her elbow. “Look,” he said, pointing across the water. Mulan’s eyes followed his finger. A small boat bobbed on the surface on the other side, tethered to a boulder. Beyond that lay another tunnel. “We can get out of here on that.”

  Mulan shook her head. “I can’t swim very well.”

  “Stay here.” A split second later, Kang dived into the dark water, sending waves of fear crashing through her chest. His head broke the surface halfway across the river before Mulan’s feet could carry her to the water’s edge. After a quick glance in her direction, Kang began swimming, heading for the boat, his arms strong and swift.

  Behind her, the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder.

  Kang pulled himself out of the water and onto the stony bank, his clothes sodden and heavy. Rushing towards the boat, he freed it from its tether and climbed within. Mulan thought she saw an oar poke from the side but couldn’t be certain.

  “Hurry!” she called. “They’re coming.”

  A blast of curses erupted on the air, mingling with the roar of the water as Kang struggled to move the boat. “It’s stuck,” he shouted, pulling and tugging at it. “Something’s got it from beneath.” Inhaling deeply, Kang dived once more into the river, disappearing out of sight.

  The sound of footsteps echoed then stopped. “You have got to be the most annoying warrior I’ve ever had the misfortune to come across.”

  Mulan’s heart froze and ice slithered through her veins at the coarse voice behind her. Slowly, she turned around and stared at the Rouran sorcerer standing at the mouth of the tunnel, only ten meters away.

  Long hair the colour of the deepest shadows fell behind broad shoulders, twin strands pulled back from the sides to keep it off his face. Dust layered his dark clothes, his low cheekbones and forehead smeared with the same substance. Sheathed at his side was a long sword, leather tassels darkened with age. Shadows danced over his face, but a fierceness blazed within his eyes. Mulan’s fingers drew her jian and aimed it in front of her. “Don’t come any closer.”

  The Rouran snorted in derision and held out his hand. “Then throw me the seal. I can feel its power, even from here.”

  Shoving the fear down, Mulan shook her head. “I’m not going to give it to you only for you to annihilate our people.”

  Dropping his hand to his side, the dark-robed man’s expression morphed to one of bewilderment. “Annihilate you? Foolish girl, we’re not planning to destroy your people, just to stop your idiotic emperor and his sons from slaughtering the world.”

  The jian in Mulan’s hand wavered slightly. “What do you know?”

  “I know that the bloodlust in Emperor Taiwu’s heart makes his heart grow colder each day. I know he’s been searching for the ancestral cave since before he took the throne. I know Prince Jizi is riding this way, his own heart filled with love of power. Whispers have reached our Great Khan’s ears, telling how the Tuoba will first use the ancestral cave’s immense power to destroy the Rouran first, then the Lui Song. But they won’t stop there, girl. They’ll spread out like a disease, destroying everything.” He paused to take a deep breath, his features edged with anger. “We will not allow that to happen. Give me the seal.”

  His words echoed the same convictions Xuan Wu had professed only days ago; the emperor and Prince Jizi couldn’t be trusted to obtain the seal.

  But that didn’t mean she could trust the Rouran either.

  More footsteps echoed through the air.

  “No,” she breathed, the words coming out light but weighed down with the truth. “You’ve been trying to destroy the Northern Wei kingdom for years. You’re just as unworthy to hold the seal as they are.”

  Anger tinged the sorcerer’s cheeks red and his eyes blazed daggers in her direction
. “Your actions doom the world. Don’t be stupid.”

  Another figure emerged behind him. Wearing similar dark robes and a long sword at his side, he glanced over his friend’s shoulder towards Mulan. A dark energy seemed to coil around him, like a vicious serpent ready to attack. Smeared lines of blood coated his face, the light making them appear as if rippling each time he sucked in a heavy breath. “If the bitch won’t hand it over, kill her and take it from her corpse.”

  Panic flared, making her heart thunder violently in her chest as both Rouran sorcerers raised their hands, energy growing thick in the air. Swallowing her nerves and knowing there wasn’t another choice, Mulan twisted and jumped into the water, the blast of multiple spells careering over her head as she sank beneath the surface.

  The icy temperature of the river enveloped her like a frozen glove, the current forcing her forward whether she wanted to or not. Keeping one hand wrapped tight around the hilt, she tried swimming towards the surface, her lungs screaming for air. Her clothes turned to heavy chains, attempting to force her to the bottom, but still she fought her way to the top with all her strength before her chest exploded.

  As soon as her head broke the surface she dragged in as much oxygen as she could get. Water slapped her face brutally, forcing its way past her lips and down her throat.

  “There!”

  The sound of voices whipped her head around. A glimpse of bright light and a weapon raised was all she needed to see. With another deep breath, Mulan dove beneath the water, trying to sink down and allow the darkness to cover her.

  But even darkness couldn’t protect her.

  White-hot pain erupted through her thigh. Through the murky depths of the river, light flashed across her vision. Mulan’s mouth opened in a scream, but the water swallowed it down. With trembling fingers, she reached down to find the hilt of a dagger, the blade embedded in her flesh.

  Water poured into her throat, sending a new wave of panic to dance alongside the pain. Her lungs screamed for her to rise once more, to take in air, but Mulan knew if she did, she’d be subjected to the Rourans’ dark intent.