“Ping!” Shang shouted from behind. Before she could draw her sword to try to defend herself, Shan-Yu let out a furious cry and swung his blade.
Mulan braced herself for the blow.
It never came. Shang shoved her out of the way. It happened so fast. Before Mulan even tumbled into the snow, she heard a rush of wind, and the swipe of Shan-Yu’s blade.
Then a low, pained grunt.
“No!” Mulan cried, lifting her head and pushing herself up. “Shang!”
The captain’s red cape fluttered behind him, caught in the wind. For a moment, she couldn’t see him, and she thought maybe, maybe it was the Hun leader’s grunt she had heard. Maybe Shang had defeated him.
Then Shang’s cape settled, sweeping over his back as before. And any hope Mulan had died.
She saw he was hurt, too hurt to even lift his sword. It fell from his hand into the snow with a thump. Shang staggered back, his boots grinding into the snow. He raised his fists, not about to give up.
“Is this the best China has to offer?” Shan-Yu said, laughing.
“Go, Ping,” Shang rasped, as Mulan raced to help him. “Go.”
She wasn’t fast enough.
With one swift punch, Shan-Yu knocked Shang off his feet.
And the captain collapsed.
“NO!” Mulan screamed.
Shan-Yu laughed again and jumped off his horse, blade in his hand. He stabbed it into the snow, wiping it clean of Shang’s blood. Then he advanced toward Mulan, cleaving the air with such strong strokes that the wind whipped Mulan’s cheeks.
Shan-Yu was a mere step away. She was next.
Don’t panic, don’t panic. Mulan drew her sword just in time to block Shan-Yu’s blade before it sliced her chest.
He was strong, far stronger than she was. He overpowered her easily, and Mulan knew she couldn’t hold him off for long. But she hoped she wouldn’t have to.
Shan-Yu’s back was to the bucking avalanche of snow that was rapidly flowing toward them.
Mulan gathered all her strength and resolve. Then, the moment she saw an opening, she lowered her sword and swept her leg at Shan-Yu’s ankle. It surprised the Hun, and he stumbled back, thrashing to regain his balance in the snow.
That second was all she needed. Mulan whirled away and grabbed Shang by the arm to help him up.
The captain’s face was very pale. The armor concealed his wound, but his hand, which clutched his side, was stained with bright red blood.
Act first, worry later. “Come on,” she said between breaths, draping his arm around her shoulder. “We can do this.”
Together, they ran. Shang breathed heavily at her side, but she wouldn’t let him slow down. The bottom of the hill was so close. There was a large rock there where Yao and the others had taken shelter. If they could just reach it…
The wind bellowed, strong gusts pushing them forward. Mulan could feel the avalanche behind them. It had gathered speed, like a river released from its dam and gushing with full force and might. The cold whipped at Mulan’s back, and heavy clouds of snow hurtled through the air above them. If they didn’t move faster, the avalanche would swallow them.
She shouted for her horse, “Khan!”
Mulan stole a glimpse over her shoulder, just in time to see the mountain fall apart into large chunks of ice. Shan-Yu and the rest of the Hun army vanished into the snow, their shouts and cries smothered by the avalanche.
The ground roared and shuddered. Snow was everywhere, forcing itself into Mulan’s eyes and nose and mouth. She clamped her mouth shut, only to have to gasp for air seconds later, the chill filling her lungs.
She focused ahead, widened her stride. Keep going. Don’t look back. We’re halfway there.
At her side, Shang was rapidly growing weaker, and they both knew it. Mulan was practically dragging him as she ran.
“I-I’m slowing you down,” Shang said, wheezing. “Leave me and go ahead.”
“Not a chance.” She gripped Shang’s arm so hard she could barely feel her fingers anymore. She wouldn’t give up. She’d run until the end.
The avalanche thundered behind them, snapping trees and erasing everything in its path. A familiar neigh startled Mulan.
Khan!
Her horse powered toward her, his black mane powdered white with snow. Mulan leapt onto his back and reached down to grab Shang—but not fast enough. The avalanche had caught up with them, and it pulled Shang into its icy tide.
No no no, Mulan thought, watching the snow carry him farther and farther away. She kneed Khan into the flow and they drifted along with the avalanche’s current, Mulan searching desperately for Shang. She couldn’t tell which direction was north or south, east or west—there was only out of the snow and in it. The avalanche grew stronger by the second, washing down the hill with brutal force. Snow buried them, covering them in darkness. But each time they fell, Khan kicked and leapt clear of the snow, and Mulan resumed her search.
“Shang!” she yelled. “Shang!”
A flash of red caught her eye. She spotted the captain up ahead, unconscious and sinking into the snow. “Hyah!” she said, urging Khan toward him. Shang let out a groan as she pulled him up by his shoulders and folded him over Khan’s back.
Mulan turned Khan back toward the rock. It was close now, but the pulsing waves of snow were too strong. They were impossible to navigate. From this distance, Mulan could see her friends watching her struggle.
Yao stood with his bow in his hand. He waved it at them, shouting something Mulan couldn’t hear.
Ling, the slim and energetic soldier with Yao and Chien-Po, pointed at the rope attached to one of the arrows. Now Mulan understood. They were going to try to pull her to safety!
Keeping one arm over Shang’s unconscious body, Mulan waved her free hand to show she was ready.
Yao raised his bow and shot the arrow. It arced high into the sky, and for a moment Mulan feared that the roiling avalanche might devour it too. It landed just beside her and Mulan grasped it, tying the rope around Khan’s belly. But the rope slipped through Yao’s grasp!
Mulan gritted her teeth, but she didn’t panic. Every second mattered now, and she had to figure out a way to save them all before they fell off the cliff.
Spotting the bow on Khan’s pack, she reached for it and aimed the arrow back at her friends.
Please catch it, please catch it, she pleaded, watching the arrow and rope soar back toward Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po. She couldn’t see them from the rush of the avalanche.
Mushu hollered in Mulan’s ears as they swooped down with the snow, almost falling off the cliff. But she kept watching the rope, kept waiting—
Suddenly, the rope grew taut. The snow washed around them instead of with them, and Khan let out a loud neigh as he kicked against the current.
Mulan craned her neck, not daring to hope.
She could see her friends above, just along the edge of the cliff. And yes, they had caught the rope! She held her breath as the rope stretched, and the soldiers heaved together, pulling them to safety behind the rock.
Finally, Chien-Po, the strongest of her friends, lifted Shang off Mulan’s lap.
They’d made it.
Mulan dismounted, pulled Khan by the reins, and grabbed Mushu. She pressed her back against the rock, squeezing her eyes shut as the tail end of the avalanche washed down the hill.