Chapter 5:

Blackness comes and goes

Mulan couldn't sleep. She had been not feeling good lately so Hang Tai decided to stay with Mulan that night to help. Mulan heard the whole story about how Tai and Sang hit it off. She was happy for her friend. Mulan told Tai that she was with child. Tai decided that she would stay with Mulan and help her until Shang came back.

Mulan couldn't sleep, every time she would move back and forth trying to get comfortable. Mulan got frustrated and pushed the covers off her and she got up and pushed the balcony doors and ran to the railing. She stared up at the stars.

"Where are you Shang?" She asked under her breath as she gazed up at the bright stars in the sky.

"Mulan, are you ok?" Tai asked as she approached Mulan. Mulan looked in back of her to see Tai looking at her worriedly.

"Yeah, I just want Shang to come back that's all."

Tai put her hand on Mulan's back to comfort her. "He'll come back." She smiled and headed back inside.

Mulan continued looking at the stars dreaming of Shang coming home. Then she saw that the necklace that Ho Chi gave her began to glow. She looked down at it, she picked it up with her hands and put it in front of her face to see what it was doing. It glowed a deep red through the eyes of it.

"That's strange, why is it glowing?" She asked herself under her breath. Then she remembered what Ho Chi said before he left Mulan and Shang at their new home. "Now, if for some reason it starts glowing just out of no where, that means that something bad or evil is around." Mulan almost jumped out of her skin.

"Shang!" She said. She hurried up and went inside and began get dressed.

"Mulan, what are you doing?" Tai asked with sleepy eyes.

"I have to leave, please don't follow me." Mulan said in a hurry.

"Wait, you can't leave what about the Emperor, he doesn't want you to go." She replied jumping out of bed.

"Tai, Please, don't say anything." Mulan pleaded.

"But what if you get hurt?" Tai said concerned about Mulan.

"I wont but please just don't say anything." Mulan went out the door, "Oh and please don't come after me." With that she closed the door leaving Tai speechless. What was she going to do? She thought.

Mulan galloped away on Khan hard, following Shang and his men's horses' trail just by following the hoof prints. It began to rain hard. She felt the warm rain drops fall on top of her. Lighting and thunder filled through the sky.

"Make sure not to lose the trail, Khan." She said to Khan. Khan neighed and began to run faster.

Every minuet was precious to her, for she feared the worst for Shang and his men.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~The next day~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Shang looked around his surroundings, there was nothing. "Where should we go sir?"

Shang shook his head, "I don't know."

"Can't we just leave, We have been everywhere." Said another annoyed and tiered solder.

"No we haven't, we haven't gone in the Dark Forest, Sir should we go?" he looked at Shang for an answer.

Shang had heard stories about that place but he had no other choice. "I'll right we're going to head into the Dark forest, and keep your eyes out for anything." Ordered Shang.

"Why! You think the devil.. is in there or something." Said the one annoying solders making all the others laugh. Shang rolled his eyes and didn't even bother to yell at the guy.

As they made their way through the forest everyone seemed get the creeps. The further they went in the darker and scarier things got to be.

"Shang, you think we should turn back I mean I don't mean to be a coward but this is creeping everyone." Exclaimed a solder that went next to Shang.

"Wong............" Shang got interrupted be the sudden screeching noise. Everyone took out their weapons and looked all around them in fear of what might suddenly pop out.

"Everyone get ready....." Shang said as he then saw the sudden blackness coming closer and closer to them.

"Wong, I don't think we can leave." Shang said tapping on Wong's shoulder.

"What do you mean sir?" Wong said nervously. Shang then pointed in front of him to show him the black cloaked guys with black horses coming their way. "Sir is that Chi Fu right next to them." Asked Wong as he quickly got out his sword ready to fight.

Shang turned around and saw that it was Chi Fu right next to him. "Get ready guys these guys don't look friendly."

As they got closer and closer to them. Shang and the men could see that they were all covered in black. They looked like the devils work.

Once it was a direct hit Chi Fu watched from on top of a hill as Shang's army was getting easily defeated by the Orcs. They were merely too powerful and strong for them.

As one of the Orcs came up to Shang, Shang pierced his sword into him but it didn't stop the guy. "They can't die guys. Head back!" Screamed out Shang. An Orc took a hold of Shang's horse and made him fall to the ground.

Shang hit the ground hard. He had fallen hard on his head. Shang shook his head and made his eyes open. When he looked up he saw the Orc right over him with his huge sword.

"No!............." Everyone including the Orcs looked up to see Mulan on the hill looking down at them.

"Mulan go back!" Exclaimed Shang. The Orcs were already going towards her with their swords. Suddenly they stopped and began to back up slowly when they saw the necklace that she wore around her neck. It shinned brighter and brighter. Everyone could see it.

The Orcs fled to their horses and ran out of the sight. Chi Fu quickly followed right behind them.

Mulan got off Khan and ran towards Shang who was still on the ground bewildered that they just all of a sudden left.

"Shang, Shang are you ok?"

Shang looked at Mulan then looked down at her necklace. "How did you.....Where did you....?" Shang said fumbling for the words.

"The necklace stared glowing and I didn't know what it mean at first but then I remembered what Ho Chi told me before he left us. He said that, "If the necklace for some strange reason begins to glow it means that evil is around. So I knew it had to do with you being here. So then I followed your hoof prints and came as quick as I could." Everyone looked at her in shock, still curious how the guys left.

"But how did you make those guys leave like that?" Shang asked with a raised eyebrow. Mulan looked at Shang confused then at the necklace. She picked it up in her hands and stared at it.

"I don't know." Replied Mulan.

"Sir, what about Chi fu he was with them, should we go after him?" Wong asked. Shang got up and brushed the dirt off him.

He sighed heavily and looked in the direction at witch the Orcs and Chi Fu went. "Let's just go home." said Mulan pleaded for Shang to agree with her.

"Alright, lets get out of here, We'll find a place to sleep for the night. I think as long as Mulan is with us and she has the necklace on we're safe.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Back in the forest~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Why did you guys just leave you could have killed her?" Said Chi Fu, all upset with what happened.

"If you want us to kill her, get ride of the necklace that she wares."

"Why, Why do I have to get ride of the necklace?" The Orc picked him up by the collar.

"Because with that necklace she is more powerful then us, She can kill us. For if that necklace lies across her neck, she can not be stopped. She is one with the dragon, she can even have the power of the dragon." Chi Fu began to gage for air. The Orc dropped him down and pointed his finger at him.

"Go get the necklace and destroy it. And then we will both get what we want."