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Mulan kept moving. Racing back in the Emperor’s direction, she heard B�0�2ri Khan on her heels. Turning around, she lifted her bamboo just as B�0�2ri Khan’s sword sliced down toward her head. Mulan cried out as her bamboo spear cracked, breaking in two as the Rouran’s sword met wood and then continued down, slashing a rope that hung nearby. Without the rope holding it steady, one of the giant crossbeams pressed against the scaffolding came free. It swung back and forth in the air above, between where Mulan stood and the Emperor was imprisoned.

Watching the long piece of wood, Mulan had an idea. She leapt for the crossbeam in an attempt to use it to get to the Emperor. But the beam was too high. Desperately, she grabbed at it and hung there, her arms wrapped around the beam in an awkward hug. With her added weight and the momentum of her jump, the beam began to tilt and spin.

B�0�2ri Khan, his face filled with rage, took a running leap and grabbed hold of the opposite end of the crossbeam. The wood groaned under their combined weights as they hung on either end. At the same time, Mulan and B�0�2ri Khan hoisted themselves to their feet on the beam. They swayed, their balance uneven as the beam beneath their feet rocked back and forth.

Peering down at the ground, which now seemed very far away, Mulan took a nervous breath. B�0�2ri Khan was not going to stop until he defeated her. She saw him begin to maneuver toward her, his weight causing the beam to raise up behind her, forcing her closer to the middle—and to the Rouran. It would only take one swing of his sword for B�0�2ri Khan to knock her off. She had every reason to retreat.

But then, as if there was something in the back of her mind that kept reminding her why she had to carry on, she heard Commander Tung’s voice in her head, reading aloud the Pillars of Virtue. She heard the Emperor, urging her to rise like the Phoenix. She saw, in her mind’s eye, the magnificent bird. And she knew, in that moment, she would not give up. Slowly, she bent her knees and lifted her arms, taking the now familiar stance of the warrior that the commander had taught her. With her center of gravity lowered, her balance grew stronger. The room around her faded and she was back beside the lake, practicing the moves Commander Tung had drilled into the soldiers. As B�0�2ri Khan came at her, she moved forward and backward, pressing and then yielding, all the while staying steady and focused.

B�0�2ri Khan, on the other hand, grew less focused. As Mulan deftly met every one of his moves, his face grew redder. His sword’s movements became less controlled. Letting out a furious scream, he lunged at her.

Mulan barely had to move. Using his energy against him, she let him race by on the narrow beam, grabbing the sword right out of his hand as he passed. When he stopped at the end of the beam, he turned, only to find the blade of his own weapon pointed at his throat.

As B�0�2ri Khan stared at her in surprise, Mulan leapt up, grabbing a rope that hung from the ceiling above. Then, using the Rouran’s sword, she hacked at the rope holding up the crossbeam. Repeatedly she swung until, bit by bit, the rope began to fray. Then, with a loud creak, it ripped in two, sending the beam—and B�0�2ri Khan—plummeting to the ground below.

Not waiting to see if B�0�2ri Khan landed on his feet, Mulan swung herself to the platform on which the Emperor still sat tied. Racing over, she furiously cut at his bindings. Mulan’s heartbeat quickened as she desperately tried to free the Emperor. Hearing the man take a quick inhale, she turned and saw that B�0�2ri Khan was standing on the ground below, his bow in hand and an arrow aimed right at them.

B�0�2ri Khan pulled back the arrow.

Mulan cut faster.

As the Rouran let the arrow fly, Mulan cut away the final binding. The Emperor’s hand came free, and just before the arrow could pierce his chest, he lifted his arm and grabbed it. With a look of defiance, the Emperor tossed the arrow into the air. Both B�0�2ri Khan’s and Mulan’s mouths dropped open in surprise. But Mulan was quicker to recover. Watching the arrow arc up and then descend back toward the ground, she saw an opportunity. Leaping into the air, Mulan whipped her body around. Her foot came out and then, with a

THWACK

, she kicked the blunt end of the arrow. The movement sent it hurtling through the air—right toward B�0�2ri Khan.

Lifting his hand, the huge warrior tried to catch it. But he wasn’t quick enough. Fueled with Mulan’s power and strength, the arrow slammed into B�0�2ri Khan’s chest, knocking him to the ground, where he lay, unmoving.

Silence descended as the reality of what she had just done filled Mulan. Her body shook with adrenaline and her knees grew weak. She turned. The Emperor stood staring at her with an expression she could not read. She immediately lowered her knees to the ground, bowing.

“Stand up, soldier,” the Emperor said. Mulan rose. “Tell me your name.”

Mulan took a deep breath, pausing for only a moment. She had just defeated B�0�2ri Khan, the most feared warrior in China. She had beat him with her own strength and skill and, in doing so, had saved the Emperor—and the entire kingdom. A warmth spread within her as she realized the magnitude of what she had done. Moments flashed in front of her: Xianniang sacrificing her own life. Commander Tung putting his faith in her. Honghui lifting his voice in support of her. She had spent so much time pretending to be someone she was not in the hopes of doing her part to help. And the irony was that all along, she had only needed to be herself. Lifting her head, Mulan met the Emperor’s gaze.

“I am Hua Mulan,” she answered, and as her name echoed through the tower, she smiled.

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