17
dowy shape took for revealing itself as the Phoenix. Reaching her, the bird turned and, wrapping its long tail feathers around her wrist, pulled her upward.
A nt later, Mulan burst through the surface, opening her uth and sucking in air. She lay on the hard ground beside the lake for a long nt, her eyes closed as her heartbeat slowed. She opened her eyes.
Instantly, she wished she hadn’t.
There, protruding fronbsp; her chest, was the witch’s dagger.
It stuck straight out, the tip of the blade disappearing into Mulan’s arr. But as she stared down, expecting any nt for blood to pour fronbsp; the wound, Mulan’s eyes narrowed. Lifting her shaking hands, she pulled out the dagger. Ripping back her arr, Mulan saw, to her relief, it had eedded not in her skin, but in the leather binding she had wrapped around her chest.
In a whoosh, Mulan’s breath rushed out of her and she shouted a cry of gratitude. To think, the thing that she had used to lie, the thing that could have been her downfall, had just saved her life.
Slowly, she got to her feet. Turning around, she saw the Phoenix sitting a few steps away. The bird’s feathers were wet and she looked tired, but happy. Meeting her gaze, Mulan gave the Phoenix a grateful nod. The bird nodded.
I’ve got your back, always,
she seed to say. And for the first ti, Mulan realized how ch she had needed the Phoenix, now and throughout the long journey.
Lifting her sword fronbsp; the ground, she read the inscription, her eyes lingering on one word. “True??.??.??.” she said aloud. True. Yes. It was the virtue she had struggled so ch with, and yet the one she longed to erace. And now she needed to be true to herself. She wasn’t going to listen to the witch’s words or let doubt creep in. She needed to follow her heart.
Mulan raced over and jued onto Black Wind’s back. The horse whinnied as she urged hinbsp; forward. Behind her, she heard flapping wings as the Phoenix took flight. Together, they raced across the valley in the direction of the battlefield. Her arr, loosened fronbsp; the fight, fell to the ground piece by piece. The wind whipped her long hair around her face. There was no hiding who she was now. But she didn’t care. She was done pretending. The witch had seen her as enough of a threat to try to kill her. She was strong. She was no longer Hua Jun. She was Mulan. She was a won. And she was a warrior.
As she reached the edge of the valley, she could hear the sounds of battle fronbsp; below the
A nt later, Mulan burst through the surface, opening her uth and sucking in air. She lay on the hard ground beside the lake for a long nt, her eyes closed as her heartbeat slowed. She opened her eyes.
Instantly, she wished she hadn’t.
There, protruding fronbsp; her chest, was the witch’s dagger.
It stuck straight out, the tip of the blade disappearing into Mulan’s arr. But as she stared down, expecting any nt for blood to pour fronbsp; the wound, Mulan’s eyes narrowed. Lifting her shaking hands, she pulled out the dagger. Ripping back her arr, Mulan saw, to her relief, it had eedded not in her skin, but in the leather binding she had wrapped around her chest.
In a whoosh, Mulan’s breath rushed out of her and she shouted a cry of gratitude. To think, the thing that she had used to lie, the thing that could have been her downfall, had just saved her life.
Slowly, she got to her feet. Turning around, she saw the Phoenix sitting a few steps away. The bird’s feathers were wet and she looked tired, but happy. Meeting her gaze, Mulan gave the Phoenix a grateful nod. The bird nodded.
I’ve got your back, always,
she seed to say. And for the first ti, Mulan realized how ch she had needed the Phoenix, now and throughout the long journey.
Lifting her sword fronbsp; the ground, she read the inscription, her eyes lingering on one word. “True??.??.??.” she said aloud. True. Yes. It was the virtue she had struggled so ch with, and yet the one she longed to erace. And now she needed to be true to herself. She wasn’t going to listen to the witch’s words or let doubt creep in. She needed to follow her heart.
Mulan raced over and jued onto Black Wind’s back. The horse whinnied as she urged hinbsp; forward. Behind her, she heard flapping wings as the Phoenix took flight. Together, they raced across the valley in the direction of the battlefield. Her arr, loosened fronbsp; the fight, fell to the ground piece by piece. The wind whipped her long hair around her face. There was no hiding who she was now. But she didn’t care. She was done pretending. The witch had seen her as enough of a threat to try to kill her. She was strong. She was no longer Hua Jun. She was Mulan. She was a won. And she was a warrior.
As she reached the edge of the valley, she could hear the sounds of battle fronbsp; below the