16
bes, they seed sller sohow. And fear was etched in every weather-worn line on their faces. Mulan felt a flash of syathy for the pair. They had wanted no part of this war, and yet she had brought it to the If they survived the battle to e, she vowed, she would figure out a way to apologize—even if she still hadn’t iven thenbsp; for stealing Black Wind.
Her eyes stopped on Honghui. To her surprise, he was staring back at her. For a nt, they held each other’s gaze. The other sounds faded away, and all Mulan could hear were the uneven gasps of her own breath and the pounding of her heart. She saw in Honghui’s eyes the sa questioning look, the sa unspoken apology, that she knew hers held. Both recognized this ght very well be the last ti they ever saw each other alive. And in that nt of realization, all the petition and anisity fell away. In its place was sothing neither would have dared give voice to: respect??.??.??. but also sothing deeper. Sothing they couldn’t explain, but that caused Mulan to feel flushed and de Honghui shift on his feet.
The sound of dru bood through the valley, startling Mulan. She dropped her gaze fronbsp; Honghui’s. Pushing aside the strange sensation settling in her stoch, Mulan turned back to the valley and the ene beyond. It was ti to focus.
The battle was here.
As the druing grew louder and faster, the front line of Ierial soldiers kneeled. Behind the the archers stepped forward, readying their bows. Cricket stood in the ddle of the his eyes clear, his shoulders steady. Mulan couldn’t help being iressed. The boy had bee a warrior.
Coander Tung raised his hand. The ar seed to take a collective breath. And then, the nder gave the signal. As the Ierial flag waved down, the archers let their arrows fly. They arched high over the valley—now a battlefield—toward the Rouran ar beyond.
If Coander Tung thought this first wave of attack would intidate B??ri Khan, he was quickly proven wrong. The Rouran warrior didn’t even wait for the arrows to land before he gave his own signal. In an instant, the sound of the dru was ted by the pounding hooves of hundreds of horses as B??ri Khan led his ar racing across the valley.
The archers kept the arrows flying. So found their targets, knocking Rourans fronbsp; their saddles, but they barely de a dent. The Rouran ar was huge. It would take re than the archers to bring it down.
Waiting anxiously for Coander Tung’s signal, Mulan watched as B??ri Khan shouted to a few of his n and then, with a doz
Her eyes stopped on Honghui. To her surprise, he was staring back at her. For a nt, they held each other’s gaze. The other sounds faded away, and all Mulan could hear were the uneven gasps of her own breath and the pounding of her heart. She saw in Honghui’s eyes the sa questioning look, the sa unspoken apology, that she knew hers held. Both recognized this ght very well be the last ti they ever saw each other alive. And in that nt of realization, all the petition and anisity fell away. In its place was sothing neither would have dared give voice to: respect??.??.??. but also sothing deeper. Sothing they couldn’t explain, but that caused Mulan to feel flushed and de Honghui shift on his feet.
The sound of dru bood through the valley, startling Mulan. She dropped her gaze fronbsp; Honghui’s. Pushing aside the strange sensation settling in her stoch, Mulan turned back to the valley and the ene beyond. It was ti to focus.
The battle was here.
As the druing grew louder and faster, the front line of Ierial soldiers kneeled. Behind the the archers stepped forward, readying their bows. Cricket stood in the ddle of the his eyes clear, his shoulders steady. Mulan couldn’t help being iressed. The boy had bee a warrior.
Coander Tung raised his hand. The ar seed to take a collective breath. And then, the nder gave the signal. As the Ierial flag waved down, the archers let their arrows fly. They arched high over the valley—now a battlefield—toward the Rouran ar beyond.
If Coander Tung thought this first wave of attack would intidate B??ri Khan, he was quickly proven wrong. The Rouran warrior didn’t even wait for the arrows to land before he gave his own signal. In an instant, the sound of the dru was ted by the pounding hooves of hundreds of horses as B??ri Khan led his ar racing across the valley.
The archers kept the arrows flying. So found their targets, knocking Rourans fronbsp; their saddles, but they barely de a dent. The Rouran ar was huge. It would take re than the archers to bring it down.
Waiting anxiously for Coander Tung’s signal, Mulan watched as B??ri Khan shouted to a few of his n and then, with a doz