Chapter 7: Strange Allies

Mulan froze in terror.

"We know about your bravery and your sacrifice, Fa Mulan," Pei continued. "We know what you did in the Tung Shao Pass and that afterward you went to the Imperial City at risk to yourself because you knew everyone was in danger. We know how you defeated Shan-Yu on the roof of the palace. You did not deserve that sentence. You deserve a medal of honor. There are many who feel the same, from this village all the way into the Imperial City."

Mulan stared at him mutely, still frozen, unable to believe that this conversation was happening.

"You knew who I was already," she finally sighed, sadly.

"We've been waiting for you. We knew Chi Fu and the captain were chasing you. And when we received the message from Wen, we knew that you were coming in this direction. Wen is the medic that Gao-Rong sent you to when you needed to get your wound re-stitched."

"Doesn't it bother all of you? What I did?"

Pei smiled kindly. "Saving our country?"

"We will give you protection. And you can help us," Guang-Zhi said. "As for Chi Fu, we have plans for him when he gets here. It actually worked out perfectly that he decided to come hunt you down with the captain."

"Chi Fu will never harm you," Pei told her, noting the worry in her face. "We will make sure of that."

"As for the captain," Guang-Zhi continued, "we will have to keep him out of the way until we have disposed of the councilman. Then we'll talk with Captain Li."

Mulan swallowed, forcing back the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.

xxxxxxx

Mulan slept fitfully for a couple of hours then woke with a start, remembering the conversation she'd had with Pei and Guang-Zhi. She felt for her father's sword beside her and breathed a sigh of relief as she felt her palm close over the hilt. She wanted to trust the two men and hoped that they would help her. But the situation seemed too good to be real. She had to be cautious.

She slowly sat up and looked around after a few minutes. Her things were untouched. No one had broken in while she was sleeping at least. She suddenly noticed that the cricket was perched at the entrance, his tiny body locked in a rigid, vigilant stance.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat for another few minutes, waiting for the aching in her body to subside. Her limbs and her muscles still felt fatigued from all of the non-stop riding and lack of sleep.

The cricket saw that she was awake and hopped over to her, chirping.

"Thanks for looking out for me, Cri-Kee."

He chirped something else, which of course she didn't understand. But even though she didn't understand his words, or whatever they were, she somehow was able to intuitively pick up the gist of what he was saying, especially when he pantomimed for her.

"So, what do you think about Pei and Guang-Zhi, Cri-Kee? Do they seem trustworthy?"

Cri-Kee chirped and pantomimed, attempting to make himself look as scary as possible.

"Yeah, Guang-Zhi is scary-looking," she sighed. "I heard them plotting to kill someone. I guess it's Chi Fu." She frowned as another thought crossed her mind. "Then again, for all I know, maybe it's me that they want to kill."

The cricket chirped in response, but she wasn't able to interpret this time.

"I would like to trust Pei and Guang-Zhi," she confided in the cricket. "I could use some help from someone. But it all seems too good to be true, especially considering how things have turned out for me lately."

She stood up slowly and went to wash up. Then she dressed in the trousers and tunic and tied her hair up into a topknot. She streaked her face with some of the oil that Mushu had left in her pack, to obscure her features. Then she sheathed the sword and tied it onto her waist.

She didn't know why she was even bothering to continue to dress as if she was Sheng-Li. Pei and Guang-Zhi already knew who she really was, and so did everyone else that had been 'gambling' there probably.

Mulan was hoping that Mushu would be returning soon. She wasn't sure what powers Mushu possessed in truth, since he'd been demoted by her ancestors and wasn't a real guardian anymore. But no one else had to know that. And if Pei or any of his friends tried to harm her, maybe she could manage to convince them that Mushu was a magical being that was on her side. If nothing else, it would distract them temporarily and buy her some time to escape if it became necessary.

But hopefully her luck was changing a little and she could trust Pei and Guang-Zhi.

xxxxxxx

"Good morning," Pei greeted her when she entered the main room. "You look a little more rested than when you first came here yesterday. But it would do you good to stop traveling and really rest yourself."

"Don't you ever sleep?" she asked him.

He chuckled. "For a few hours every evening, before my friends come. At my age, I do not need a lot of sleep."

He saw her sword but said nothing about it.

"No one comes in to eat earlier in the day?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No. The kitchen opens later, for dinner. The inn is of course open at any time, for people to check in. There are some sweet red bean buns in the kitchen for breakfast. Lady Xie is famous in this village for them. She makes them at home and comes around every day with a batch. We will have breakfast and talk some more."

"Do you want some tea?"

"If you are making some for yourself."

She nodded and went to the kitchen.

"Your captain and Chi Fu are in a village a full day away from this one," Pei told her after they were seated at the table. "One of the men that was here early this morning came from that village and reported that they had stopped in an inn there to spend the night. They will most likely stop in the village just before this one tonight."

"They will be here tomorrow, then."

He nodded. "By early afternoon. You came here on your steed."

"Yes. Khan is in the corral."

"You should move him. They will probably bring their own stallions there and they might recognize Khan."

"I'm sure they will. And Khan will recognize them. He may trample Chi Fu."

Pei laughed. "We have a plan to make sure they stay in this village. You will be in the kitchen during the evening, so neither one of them will see you."

Mulan nodded and drank her tea.

"You have not eaten anything yet," he commented.

She looked at the sweet buns, nervously. Pei understood. He smiled and picked one of the buns up. He cut it in two and took half for himself, biting into it.

"See? If there is anything in it, we will both be eating it."

She relaxed and smiled, taking the other half that he held out to her and eating hungrily.

"Wow, these really are good."

"I told you."

"If I had gone a different way when I left the Imperial City, is the same network set up in all directions?"

"Yes. But I am glad you came this way and that I was able to meet you. We will be the ones to get rid of Chi Fu. We have important plans for China, and Chi Fu is the one who has been spoiling everything. We have lost a lot of good people because of him; and not just people involved in our cause. Many of the people killed were innocent, hard-working people that contributed to our community and, in their own small way, to China. It will be our pleasure to dispose of him."

"What about Shang?"

Pei stared at her, puzzled.

"Uh, Captain Li," she corrected herself.

He looked surprised for a moment, then smiled.

"Ah, yes, the captain. He is the one who spared you in the Tung Shao Pass, isn't he?"

She nodded.

"He is obviously a wise young man. Well, as Guang-Zhi said, we will talk to him. Then we will decide what to do about him."

Pei cut another sweet red bean bun in two. He bit into one half and held out the other to her. She grinned and accepted it gratefully.