Wherever she touched, the pain seemed to vanish.
It’s my imagination.
“Why?” he asked when he could form the word. “Why such a weapon?”
“Weapons against the northern dragons. I’m so sorry, Cheng. I assumed they would have taken everything through to fight King Alistair. I had no idea they’d use them against you.”
Cheng didn't move for a while longer. Naked and exposed, he remained on the ground.
Unconsciousness must have overtaken him, because he stirred to find his head cradled on Mulan’s lap. She had draped a robe over him.
“How long—?”
“Minutes,” she said. “You’re healing. Look.”
“That was…”
It was a horror he couldn’t put into words.
“I know,” she whispered, stroking his brow. “I can only imagine what it was like for you. I… I was worried.”
He reached up with an unsteady hand and cupped her cheek. “It will take more to pull me from your side.”
“Good. Now then, you rest. I'll start a fire. I didn’t dare leave you for even a second to do that much.”
“Is it safe?”
“Safe enough. Even if the army did send out soldiers, as far as you brought us it would take them at least a day to catch up, if they could even find us. We can risk a night here.”
“No. No. I can keep going. I did not bring us nearly as far away from the camp as I wanted to. I don’t want—”
Don’t want you to be caught alone if I lose myself again.
A series of hacking coughs overtook him and resulted in Cheng almost regretting that the fog hadn’t slain him after all. He tasted blood in his mouth by the end, and was forced to rise and spit out a mouthful.
His entire body shuddered and involuntarily shook with convulsions.
“Cheng!”
He lost clarity of his surroundings, only cognizant of the fact that Mulan had moved away in a rush. He heard twigs snapping, the spark of flint against steel, and soon felt licks of warmth on one side. Then she was there again, dribbling cool water against his lips.
“We have time,” she assured him. “Traveling like this poses more of a threat. Now come closer to the fire.”
Weak as a child, he had no choice but to let her draw him closer. An unfamiliar scent wafted past his nose, green and sharp, camphoraceous in nature. Whatever it was, it eased the tightness in his throat.
“That's right. Breathe.”
“What—what is it?”
“Herbs meant for use in fevers and colds. I thought they might help clear your lungs.”
Huddling near the fire helped as well. Heat radiated from it, seeping into Cheng’s bones and chasing away the unbearable chill. He would have crawled into the flames if it wasn't likely to burn his human flesh.
“I’ve never felt so weak in all of my life,” he muttered.
“You’ve never encountered dragon’s bane.”
“I don’t understand. My mother…” Had ordered it all destroyed. She’d called it unnecessarily cruel, a danger to more than the aggressive basilisks. “Da-Wio spits on her memory and all that she stood for.”
“It has been our only weapon against the north.”
“Liang should not be fighting dragons,” he spat. “Our goddess is a dragon. No, he should have been focusing on the west, protecting our borders from the blood witches.” He coughed, breath wheezing.
“Here,” she filled a cup with the warm water from the kettle she'd put on the fire and pushed it into his hands. “Tea will help too. Once you're steady, we can move if you insist, but I'm certain we'll be safe here tonight."
"No," he argued. "They saw me. Word will get to my uncle and he'll send more of his assassins. We must move."
"Then gather your strength and we'll go."
With no other options, they rested another hour before picking up their camp and moving on. Cheng's limbs weighed heavier than stones, and the occasional cough overtook him in the darkness. The moon rose high above them, and he took solace in knowing it brought him closer to the goddess.
We must move faster.
“We won’t reach the Imperial City for days at this rate, Mulan.”
“You cannot change forms until your lungs are clear, else it could kill you.”
“Then we must find a better way. Something faster. I think I’ve enough strength in me to teleport us.”
“Will that not alert your uncle to magic being used?"
“It might.”
“Then we cannot risk it. The plan for the palace must be stealthy. He cannot suspect any duplicity.”
“We may have already ruined as much. He'll know I was at the gate, if he isn’t already aware that it was me. Which means anyone who returns me to him…”
“Is a collaborator,” Mulan finished, “unless I can fix the narrative to fit our purposes.”
18
At the end of a long night and full day’s march, Mulan reached the camp near the Imperial Palace and found it bustling with activity. She’d changed into her military uniform again and now wore both blades, the Sword of Kindness on one hip and Integrity on the other.
They had not encountered more assassins, but Cheng had also not assumed his human form again. Her travel through the wilds had been a quiet journey rich with fear each time she waited for him to provide input and silence answered her questions.
Please come back to me, she prayed, not for the first time.
Had he finally exhausted all of the power regained over the weeks since leaving Da-Wio’s imprisonment?
Body rife with tension, Mulan shoved her way through the barricade and searched for her men.
Finding them was not difficult.
“Captain!” Wuhan shouted, rushing toward her with Wen at his side. Bao wasn’t far behind, aiming a shy smile at her.
His smile spoke volumes.
In that boyish grin, she saw genuine joy and affection.
How had she gone so long without seeing it? Despite yet another issue piling on the complicated ball of shit that had become her life, the dilemma with her subordinate seemed minor compared to the pressing issue of the attack on the gateway.
“What is the current news?” she asked, needing their unbiased outlook.
“A few days here and then it’s our turn to make our way to the gate,” Wuhan replied. “The men here are saying the battle must be going well. A garrison departed mere hours ago.”
“More likely they need more men to replace those lost,” Bao muttered. “They say the northmen are powerful warriors. They’ve asked for more dragon’s bane.”
“They’ve even sent the Ghosts,” Wen added in a lower voice. All the men went silent, faces losing a touch of color. “We saw a trio here only yesterday.”
“Has General Zhu said why?”
Heads shook, but Bao spoke up. “Very little. I heard a rumor that they’re pursuing a thief. Someone robbed the Jade Palace and stole a powerful artifact from the emperor.”
They don’t know yet.
If not for Cheng’s recklessness, Mulan would still be on the long road for the capital and news would have reached the Jade City ahead of her. Wary, she squeezed the jade statuette worn close to her skin.
Cheng hadn’t spoken to her since his final words three days earlier.
“We must speak in private, all of us. It’s…” Treason.
The artifact in question had been with her for years.
What if they turn me—us over?
“I trust each of you implicitly. You are my closest, most cherished warriors," Mulan started, though her voice grew thick with emotion. The eyes of every man softened with concern.
“We trust you as well, Captain,” Wen said, frowning. “What is it? What happened during your journey?”
“In private. We must take this somewhere private.”
Wen seemed to catch her meaning and nodded his head toward the heart of the camp. It seemed the least likely place to have a secret conversati
on, but she trusted the sorcerer and followed until the familiar sight of her command tent came into view.
“You are a mind reader.”
Wen smiled. “We expected your eventual arrival, Captain. Please, after you.”
No one blinked twice at the sight of soldiers following their captain into a tent. She waited until everyone was inside, then tied the flaps shut while Wen cast a spell to keep prying ears from hearing a peep.
“All is well now.”
“Thank you, Wen.” She released a breath, trying to think which truth to start with. There were so many secrets. "Before I begin, this is your last chance to leave my service. I need only those who trust in me.”
“You should know us by now,” Bao said.
“I do, but it is only fair to give you the choice. After this, we will all be traitors of a sort.”
Smiles slipped off faces, and lips drew into flat lines. Pensive expressions met her in the moments of silence that she collected her thoughts.
“Da-Wio is not who the empire believes him to be. He displaced the true ruler hundreds of years ago. I know this, because I've met the rightful Emperor of Liang. He's been with us all along from the very beginning, but cursed and unable to assume his true form.”
Wuhan and Bao exchanged uncertain glances. “The emperor has protected us,” Wuhan said, discomfort worn openly on his face.
“From what?” Mulan countered. "What has the north actually done to us beyond the thorn wall? Have they killed our people as the blood witches do? Have they raided our towns and stolen our children in the black nights?"
“No, but—” Bao appeared to struggle the most. “They’ve stolen our land, Mu. They took our ancestral forests.”
“We’ve abducted their citizens,” Wen said in a heavy voice. “Who could blame them?”
“That’s preposterous,” Wuhan blurted. “There are no tales of beasts taken prisoner.”
“Their pixies.”
“Those fireflies?”
“They are kin to the northmen. But this goes beyond that. Is it worth the war we’re raging when a greater threat looms to the west? No. This is about amassing power, and that is not what our empire stood for.”
Wuhan frowned. “But you speak of another emperor. What do you mean by that?"
“The lost emperor.”
All three men watched her, but only two laughed. Wen looked as serious as she did.
“I think you must have caught the jungle fever,” Wuhan said.
“Captain Mu speaks the truth,” Wen interjected. “I have seen this with my own eyes.”
Bao spun around to stare at him. “Seen what?”
Wen's mouth curved into a tight smile. "The lost ruler—the rightful ruler of our kingdom, Emperor Cheng the Munificent. He stood in this very tent in our last camp. I watched him take form, and I listened to what he could recall of his story." The man stormed toward the exit of the tent and threw open the flap to look outside. Sunlight dwindled, turning the sky orange with the approaching dawn. "Soon, you will see it, too."
Shit.
Would they see it? Or would she present the statuette and find that Cheng was unable to reach her?
“It is true,” Mulan said, not wishing to let their uneasiness grow. She pulled the statuette from her armor and held it out for all to see. "You have all seen my token. It has been with me for years, since I first joined the army, found in a raider's camp."
“But what of it?”
“It is easiest for you to see with your own eyes. Which brings me to another secret I must share with you, because I trust you, and for my next plan to work you must see and understand who I truly am.”
This time even Wen looked perplexed, though less so than the other two. Mulan sighed and pulled the pin from her hair, letting it all fall loose around her face and shoulders. Then she unbuckled her heavy cuirass and set it aside, removing her heavier outer robe next. What remained was the padded undergarment and bandages that bound her breasts into a masculine shape.
Of all the men present, only Wen showed no change in facial expression. “I’ve known for weeks, Mu.”
Wuhan rubbed his face with one hand. “I…suspected once, but I saw you carry Wen from the battlefield and thought surely, I had misunderstood, that I was wrong.”
Bao said nothing. He stared, jaw working, mouth opening once to speak, and then shutting firmly again.
“I am sorry to have betrayed your trust, but I had no alternatives. My father was an ill man when the summons reached my village. By sharing this secret, I'm entrusting all of you with my life and his.”
“You are still my captain,” Togashi said at last. “This…will take some adjustment. But I can honor your request for our silence.”
The others one by one gave their agreement, their promises. All but Bao.
When she turned to him, he was already stalking to the exit. "Bao!"
"I will have no part in this. You have my silence, but…I… I will march with you no more."
Wen intercepted him. "Think, man. What is the greater dishonor? Fighting with a woman who has proven herself worthy of command, or serving an emperor bent on domination? Stay and listen to what she has to tell you. Hear us out."
Mulan waited, breath held. The others murmured quietly amongst each other. Would others follow Bao?
"Please, Bao. More is at stake here," she said. “At least stay until after sunset so you can see the rest with your own eyes."
Togashi sighed. “Let him leave. I will wait and view this miracle with my own eyes.”
Agreement spread throughout the tent. Wen and Bao continued to speak in hushed voices near the entrance, but the former returned alone. Bao had stalked off after all.
“Can he be trusted—?”
“He will say nothing,” Wen assured her.
The sorcerer prepared tea while they waited, conjuring additional vessels with magic. Mulan clutched Cheng’s statue so tightly she feared shattering the jade.
Please, she begged it again, holding it between both hands. Come back to me again, Cheng. Show them you are real. Show them the true Emperor of Liang.
With all of her trust and hopes placed in Cheng, she set the statuette on the prayer mats before the altar and left it up to the will of the gods. There was nothing more she could do.
Tension hung thick in the air as they all waited. More than once, she saw one of them open their mouth as if to ask a question, only to close it again and remain silent. They watched her, looking at her with new eyes, even after she’d redressed and pinned her hair up.
“The moons are in the sky,” Wen announced.
“And I see nothing,” Togashi said.
“It may take a moment. He was wounded by dragon’s bane.”
She rubbed clammy palms against her trousers. Please, Cheng. We need you. I need you.
“Perhaps…it is best that you take a day or two to rest, Mu,” Togashi said in the gentlest of voices. “The jungle fever is a devastating illness. We’ve lost several men along the way—”
“I’m not crazy!” she snapped. “I’m not crazy or ill.”
“Nor am I,” Wen reminded them.
“Then why isn’t he changing?” Akio asked. “Captain, we’ve entertained your story, we’ve accepted your…” The man struggled to find words, halting to rake one hand through his dark hair. “I don't understand why Wen—”
Green glimmered over the surface of the statuette. A sparkle shone over the nose of the dragon and traveled over the beast’s spine. It grew suddenly in size, rapidly developing jade scales which shone with inner luster, and a realism she had seen once before that night under the moonlight. Bare skin rapidly emerged next. In the end, Cheng lay there as pale as he had been days prior. He gasped for air.
Then he vomited black bile on the ground and her mat.
“Cheng!” Mulan rushed to him and threw herself on her knees beside him. “I’m here. I’m here.”
Wen stepped over with the heavy robe Mulan had set out and
laid it over the quaking man. The others stood back in stunned silence.
“I’m fine. I’m fine,” Cheng insisted. His hacking cough said otherwise.
“Drink this, Your Imperial Majesty.” Wen held a cup to his lips. “Medicinal herbs to counteract the dragon’s bane. Our men use them if they’ve been exposed to a cloud of the stuff.”
“I t-t-tried,” Cheng chattered. She touched his brow and met cool, clammy skin. “Tried to c-c-contact you. I—”
Mulan didn’t care who watched. She wrapped her arms around the frigid dragon’s human form. “Bring the warming lamp. Hurry! It’s near my bed.”
The men sprang into action. Togashi rushed to her bedside to remove the lamp while Wuhan spilled water in a hasty effort to fill the kettle for tea.
“I thought I’d lost you,” Mulan murmured against his hair.
It wasn’t until Cheng was seated with a warm cup in his hand that he finally took note of the gathered men. His gaze shot to Mulan, to her hair and state of dress, then to the group again. She understood the wariness in his eyes. The uncertainty.
“I told them everything,” she said.
“Can they be trusted?”
“Yes. I trust all of these men with my life.”
Even in the wake of Bao stalking from the tent, her trust for him lingered, and she hoped he would return to do the right thing.
Please, don’t let me be wrong.
“Is it true?” Togashi asked. “Are you truly the lost emperor?”
“I am Emperor Cheng the Munificent, son of Li-Song the Majestic and Kazan the Judicious.”
Their reverent gazes locked on Cheng in a mixture of disbelief and admiration. As a group, her small unit of men knelt before the true emperor and bowed their heads. The force of their awe seemed to swell and fill the entirety of the tent.
“Forgive us, Your Imperial Majesty. Forgive us for doubting,” Wuhan said.
“My life is yours, Emperor Cheng. Tell us what we must do,” Togashi intoned.
Mulan could have sagged on the spot. The relief was dizzying until she realized she’d been holding her breath and sucked in a fresh lungful of air. “You believe us?”
Mulan and the Jade Emperor: an Adult Folktale Retelling (Once Upon a Spell: Legends Book 1) Page 16