“How can we not?” Wuhan said. “His eyes. Every one of us is taught during school that the true descendants of Yüying's gift carry the green eyes. That they glow with her magic.”
And Cheng’s indeed glowed, the intensity brighter than she saw them last. He looked equally awed by their support, not haughty or pleased. It was another thing she loved about him.
Loved.
Even just thinking the word caught her off guard, lending a skip to her speeding pulse and a catch to her breath.
She loved him, and when all was said and done, she would have to let him go.
“Not to be rude, but what is the plan?” Wen asked, bringing her attention back to the present.
“You'll be hearing about it soon enough if word hasn’t already reached the general.” She imagined the leaders of the fierce war campaign were likely convening at that moment before word was delivered to camp. “So I will be the first to tell you. Less than two days ago, Cheng and I took down the gate. We won't be crossing into Cairn Ocland for war, because the path is defunct now.”
Wen's mouth fell open. “It’s destroyed? Completely?”
“It would take an act from a god to restore it within the next few days, if not months. All of our men in Cairn Ocland are now on their own, without support.”
To be slaughtered. She prayed Anastasia and her husband lived up to their promise to take prisoners when able.
“How?”
“Dragon fire,” Cheng replied. “I had strength enough to take my other form, but I did not expect the…” He frowned and looked to Mulan.
“The dragon’s bane,” she supplied. “Even I did not take it into account, and I should have. I have never seen such an arsenal of it gathered in one place.”
Wen nodded and made a quiet hum. “I had heard the emperor was stockpiling. It makes sense to keep it on our side of the gate, so as not to risk losing it all in an attack. How badly was everything damaged?”
“The gate is destroyed and many of the siege weapons,” Mulan replied.
“And the men?”
She licked suddenly dry lips. “Those who laid down arms and backed away we left alone.”
Wuhan grunted. “A necessary loss. Those who perished chose to raise arms against the Jade Dragon and lost.”
“Would you have lowered your weapon?” Mulan asked.
The man puffed out his chest. “Certainly. Does the temple not teach us that the Jade Dragon commands respect at all times? That they are the sons and daughters of Yüying and incarnations of her spirit?”
“You are a rare man, from what I have seen,” Cheng said, his voice heavy. “As we traveled, I saw little sign of the goddess in the people’s hearts.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Mulan chided gently, “but yes, I understand what you mean.”
She turned to her men and began to recount their journey. They all listened with rapt attention, never once interrupting. They absorbed, they analyzed, and they acted.
“I cannot believe they slaughtered the monks. We were always told the monks sequestered themselves.”
Wen sighed heavily. “Togashi is correct. It has always been taught.”
“All lies,” Mulan said.
“Yes, I now see as much. I should have gone to see with my own eyes when I began my studies in magic.”
Togashi’s shoulders dropped. He rested his brow in both hands. "What are we to do now? How can we stand against an entire army when they are not of like mind and as honorable as our comrade Wuhan? What are our next steps?"
“The Jade Palace must be retaken and the false ruler overthrown,” Wuhan said. “That is the only way. But how can we stand against an emperor when…”
Mulan knew what was on the warrior's mind. She saw it in Cheng’s eyes.
“When I am not at my full power. There is one thing we have neglected to tell you. Assuming this form has been a risk and put you all in danger. Until we remove this collar, the emperor may be aware of my location. He and his Ghosts may be tracking me.”
“We are still with you.” Togashi put a hand over his heart and the others followed suit. “Ghosts or not, we will stand with our captain and our emperor.”
“For the true emperor,” Akio said, echoed by the others in turn.
She never should have doubted them. She had handpicked each and every one, not only for their abilities, but for their hearts.
Bao could be forgiven.
“Good, then I have a plan. None of you are going to like it, but it’ll get us into the Imperial Palace.”
19
Wen led the way through the gates of the Imperial Palace while Togashi and Wuhan flanked Mulan from each side. Akio followed at the rear. He’d been charged with guarding their swords.
To add another level of credibility to their claims, the men had bound her in the precious scarlet cords used to neutralize sorcerers. Talismans and trinkets dangled from the restraints, the number of them implying her to be a woman of great magical talent. For her attire, she wore the enchanted dress gifted by Anastasia. It had protected her once. She prayed it would again.
“Please inform His Imperial Majesty that I have found the item he seeks, as well as the one who held it,” Wen announced to the guard. “I humbly request an audience to present him with these gifts.”
Curious eyes roamed over her and lingered a few seconds longer than Mulan liked. When they returned to Wen, they only reflected greed. “The statue?”
“Yes.”
“Give it here then, and I shall deliver it to the emperor. The statue and the girl.”
Wen straightened. Despite his short stature, he carried himself with the posture and presence of a man seven feet tall. Mulan had always admired his confidence. “I think not. A treasure such as this will not leave my possession until placed personally in the emperor’s hands.”
The two guards glanced at each other.
“We must insist—”
“No, I must insist. I am Nigashi Wen, lieutenant sorcerer of the honored Phoenix Regiment, and an officer who outranks you both. It is my sworn duty to deliver these items to the emperor personally, so unless you think he would like to be dragged down here, I encourage you to take me to him at once.”
It took everything she had not to laugh as the two guards shrank back under the tirade, cowed by a sorcerer who barely reached their chests. Even so, she allowed herself a smirk, figuring it suited the character she played well enough.
“A moment, sir. The seneschal will be summoned to escort you.”
“My thanks.”
Less than a minute passed until the seneschal arrived, a sorcerer in a long black robe, the crimson sash around his waist glittering with magical pendants. The man gave Wen a stern nod and beckoned them to follow.
“The female…is she—?”
“A witch of some type. We have bound her wrists in nullifying cords to guarantee her foul magic will be of no use to her.”
“Excellent.”
Playing the part of the powerful witch, Mulan pushed her shoulders back and proudly raised her chin, refusing to show any fear. No witch would dare cower in the presence of a man.
The Imperial Palace was stunning in its beauty, never failing to impress visitors no matter how often they visited. Yet it paled in comparison to the descriptions told in their legends. Descriptions Cheng had fondly spoken of whenever he talked about his days growing up in the gilded halls.
Something was off. The walls did not shine with golden luster, and the royal gardens, while vibrant and alive with every color imaginable, were not filled with music and dancing lights. Every reflective surface had been blackened and dulled.
“The gardens were tended by the late Empress Li-Song,” their escort said, his voice haughty and his smile condescending. “It is a great honor to be welcomed through them to the throne room.”
“I am most humbled and blessed,” Wen replied dutifully.
Mulan snorted, not even attempting to hold back. Wen yanked on her cha
in. “Be silent, witch, and show respect,” he snapped.
Appeased, their escort said no more and led them inside through a set of carved wooden doors bearing a dragon and flower motif. The seneschal did not step into the throne room. Instead, he gestured for them to pass through alone.
“His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Da-Wio the Unrelenting, awaits.”
Mulan cast a glance around the room as would be expected of a visitor, noting the layout. Togashi squeezed her arm and nudged her forward a little harder than necessary to keep her in line and moving.
“Do you mind?” she snarled at him.
The skirts of her dress whispered against the shining marble floor, her steps muffled by her silken slippers.
Why did the gown feel like the costume, and her uniform the true her?
And would she ever shake free of it and cease to feel like an imposter with her hair down?
A hundred alchemical lamps lit the throne room, casting ominous shadows against the wall and tingeing the air with their metallic scent. She didn’t understand the necessity of them, confused at how dim the room appeared when the domed ceiling was crafted from beautiful colored glass. It was as if the panes were tarnished and dull themselves, not allowing the sunlight to fully pass through them. Then her gaze shifted to the throne and the man sitting on it.
For a man who had lived centuries, Da-Wio certainly didn’t look it. No silver threaded his dark hair and his face remained unlined by age. In his black and crimson raiment he appeared stately and refined. Handsome, even. Now that she knew the source of his power and youth, she wondered how she had ever admired him at all.
He lacked Cheng’s regal bearing and compassionate eyes. He lacked the sense of presence that the true Jade Emperor emanated with his every breath by merely existing in the same space as her. Da-Wio projected nothing. He simply existed.
Pretender.
Wen bowed deeply in a show of subservience. “Your Imperial Majesty, thank you for seeing me.”
Da-Wio appraised them with a dark, shrewd gaze. One lacking the ethereal green glow passed down from Yüying’s lineage. “Perhaps I am the one who owes you a debt of gratitude for returning to me this trinket and the witch who ensorcelled it.”
“When we caught this enchantress attempting to infiltrate our camp, I recognized the statue at once from the flyers posted from here to Langgan.” Wen’s smile widened, catlike and unpleasant to look upon. He was far too good an actor for Mulan’s liking.
One arm stretched out from the throne. The emperor’s dark eyes never left Mulan. “There has indeed been a great bounty for this statue. I commend you for your honesty, Lieutenant.”
Wen approached the throne and set it in Da-Wio’s hand. The dark and translucent patches of jade had gone brilliant green once more, leaving her to wonder how she’d never noticed the tremendous changes over the years.
Too eager to go to war on behalf of the empire.
Too occupied with hiding behind a mask.
Too busy wondering if the mask was truly her.
Too distracted by fighting desperately to earn honor for her family.
“By now, you must be aware of the great tragedy that occurred to the north,” Da-Wio said.
“We have.” Wen bowed his head. “This has struck a terrible blow. My regiment was due to depart for the gate in the next wave, to lend our strength to the battle against the northern beasts.”
“Yes. A tragedy indeed,” Da-Wio said, stroking his beard. “What do you call yourself, witch?”
“I am Mulan, rider of the Jade Dragon.”
More than she loathed Da-Wio clutching Cheng in his greedy fist, she hated the way the emperor’s gaze roved over her from head to toe, lingering on her figure before it ever reached her face.
“You are a Liangese woman. One of our people, and yet you have destroyed our greatest resource in the war against the north. You used one of our treasures for personal gain. Slaughtered dozens, if not hundreds of our men. Are you working for the Oclanders?”
If I say why, I’ll endanger Wen and the others. He cannot know that they’re aware of the truth.
“I obey the word of Yüying. The goddess herself called your gate a desecration of Liang, connecting our empire to the lands of those filthy beasts!” she declared.
Da-Wio laughed. “Is that so?”
At his cue, the soldiers chuckled. Wen shook his head. “We are at your command, Your Imperial Majesty. What are we to do with this traitor?”
“Leave her to me. I invite you and your men to stay as my guests for the night. It is the least I can do to reward you. Food, drinks, women—whatever you desire, my servants will provide.”
“You are too kind, Your Magnificence.” Wen bowed deep and began to back away. Mulan remained, standing tall and proud as her four warriors left the room. It was all part of the plan.
“I don’t think we’ll need those any longer.” Da-Wio snapped his fingers and the binding around her wrists vanished, gone in a puff of black smoke. Now that they were alone, he circled her, the statuette never leaving his grasp.
“Voice of the goddess. How intriguing. Did Yüying tell you to betray your people? Because that is what you have done. You have left thousands to die on foreign soil. The northmen will rape, defile, and devour them. Is that what you hoped to accomplish?”
With her shoulders back and chin raised, Mulan stared forward and didn’t give him the satisfaction of watching her cower or rub her sore wrists. The men had tied them tightly, at her orders, to appear legitimate.
Discovery wasn’t a risk they could take.
“No,” she said, choosing her words with caution, “but she did tell me that you are a sham.”
“Did she now?” A smile curved his mouth as he came around her. He held up Cheng and gave the statuette a little wiggle. “What did this creature speak to you?”
“Nothing.” Fingers itched to plunge a weapon into his throat. Her sword had been taken for the moment, carried now on Wen’s person. She felt naked without it and too exposed.
But they were counting on her.
“Nothing?”
“It could not speak, but it obeyed me as the goddess said it would.”
“How did a woman capable of such feats fall captive to four men of mundane quality? Did your dragon not protect you?”
“The beast only awakens in Yüying’s light.” She kept her answers straddling the truth, uncertain whether he could discern lies. Wen said some sorcerers could.
“How interesting. I, too, am a servant of the goddess.”
“You are an imposter.”
“I am the Emperor of Liang. I sit on the Jade Throne.” He tipped her chin upward with one finger. “You could sit by my side.”
“Insolent man. I possess a dragon at my command. What can you offer me that I cannot take myself now that you have released my shackles?”
Bold words. Wen had coached her thoroughly on the way a witch, or even a sorcerer, would speak to another of equal footing. And she had every reason to believe a woman powerful enough to bewitch a dragon would never bow down to Da-Wio.
“You seek my empire?” Their gazes locked. When she didn’t break eye contact, Da-Wio laughed at her. “Your confidence is refreshing.”
“You doubt I can do it?”
“You no longer have your dragon. Soon, he will never fly again and I will be the only dragon in this kingdom.”
She sucked in a quiet breath. It made sense now, the collar and the way Cheng’s strength ebbed and flowed. Da-Wio wanted that power for himself. He was going to take it.
“No,” she said. “The goddess won’t allow it.”
Da-Wio’s grin widened and he leaned in close, his voice a soft, oily whisper. “Soon, we will no longer have a goddess, and Liang will finally be safe from all enemies.”
“Is that so,” Mulan murmured, deciding to play his game. Anything she had to do in order to get the man to lower his guard. Her fingertips grazed the arm of his throne and glided over the
polished carving. She dipped her head and feigned interest in the swirling colors of black mingling with green.
Black mingled with green.
Something was wrong.
Jade should never turn black.
“If Liang is so safe, why do we still face danger from the west? Revenants glide at night and take our children.” Mulan leaned closer, her words a whispered breath. “If that is true, why do you want me?”
“It is long overdue that I took a wife, and why shouldn't that be you? A sorceress with the blessing of dragons would be a gift to the people.”
“People you say I betrayed when I destroyed your gate. Why would you wish me after that?”
“Every tale is in how you tell it. I would claim the beasts overtook our gate and you kept them from invading our lands. Told enough times, it will become a new truth.”
“Your truth.”
“Our truth,” he said, smiling once again. “I will grant you time to consider my generous proposal. Otherwise, I am afraid nothing awaits you but death.”
Da-Wio clapped his hands twice, summoning twin serving women from the back of the room. They shuffled forward and bowed without saying a word.
“Please take our guest to the Room of Heavenly Flowers,” he instructed. “Help her prepare for dinner on the Balcony of the Sun.”
The twins bowed again then turned to Mulan. “Please follow us.”
“You assume many things,” Mulan said.
“I am an emperor. I assume nothing.” His cold smile chilled her to the bone. “Think on my offer carefully. You’ll only have this one chance.”
He turned away, dismissing her. Mulan then followed the women from the room. Part one of their plan had succeeded. Now she had to ensure the rest went smoothly as well, or else Cheng would never see another night.
And neither would she.
20
The room Mulan was escorted to was beautiful beyond compare. Lavish. No matter the direction she turned, surfaces abounded with silk, velvet, marble, or gleaming silverwood. The vast chamber was too luxurious to be a simple guest room, and its name left her to imagine it was meant for a concubine. Or an empress.
Mulan and the Jade Emperor: an Adult Folktale Retelling (Once Upon a Spell: Legends Book 1) Page 17