Osa and the Orangemen
Copyright© 2025 by Osa Oladapo
Chapter 21: The Magic War, Part 8: Giant Problems
While John is getting their people organized and ready to march out from the castle, on the top of the castle, Adunbi, Quivina, and Amy are with Osa and Ekian to wish them a safe voyage.
Adunbi gives them each a stone skin amulet and a kiss on their forehead. “I’ll see you at the royal palace.”
Osa says, “If the plan works out, we should be there around the same time as you.”
Quivina hugs them both and kisses them on the cheek, “Be safe, my sisters.”
Ekina replies, “Be safe also, sister.”
Ame gives Ekina a dose of each of her pollen powders (sleep, dizziness, blindness, numbness, hot, cold, and pain) and Osa a dose of each of her sap ointments (joy, lust, fear, and rage), then kisses each of them on the lips, “Don’t make me have to come look for you, because I will be very upset if you don’t make it.”
Osa looks and tells Amy, “We have so much more to teach each other. I look forward to all the time we will spend together.”
Osa and Ekina climb on the back of the dragon and hold tight as it launches them into the air. Once they even out, Ekina’s eagle lands on her arm as they make the lengthy trip to the south coast of the continent. In order to be stealthy, they dragonfly them up into the clouds until noon, then they land to eat and rest until sunset on the first two days. After dark, they fly low and attack any Orangeman outposts they see along the way on the first two nights.
On the third day, they are able to see the massive camp of tents and ten thousand Orangemen. They have to backtrack in order to land for rest and food, in order to not be seen. As they eat lunch, they discuss how they want to attack. The Dragon volunteers to make a distraction, attacking from the darkness and causing chaos. Ekina says, “I will carry Osa in as a horse.” Osa then says, “I can use my golden Zentai to make myself look like one of the northern lords. The Orangemen should let us by without question.” Osa and Ekina join hands and cast a spell to obscure their presence; if somebody accidentally walks into the middle of their camp, then they go to sleep under one of the dragon’s wings.
As the sun sets, the dragon retracts its wing, allowing the light of the setting sun and the cool evening air to awaken Osa and Ekina. The sisters eat some of their rations and then pack up with the last of the light. They cancel their concealment spell, and then Ekina takes the form of a horse. Osa climbs on Ekina’s back and shifts her Zentai to look like the armor of the noble lord she saw in the secret room back in the castle.
Osa says, “Alright, sis, let’s look as if we are trying to outrace the dragon.” Ekina nods her head and whinnies, then takes off towards the Orangeman command camp. Once the sisters are clear of the camp, the dragon launches himself into the air, getting as much height as possible while circling the camp and watching Osa and Ekina race towards the camp.
The dragon circles the camp for several minutes until he feels that Osa and Ekina are reasonably close, then he swoops down, building speed, and preparing his breath attack. His first pass hits the south side of the camp, surprising the Orangemen and their Redmen commanders. The entire camp is in a panic to put the flames out and figure out what caused the fire.
Just as Osa and Ekina reach the eastern edge of the camp, the dragon makes a second pass, this time over the west end of the camp, his silhouette lit up by the already burning fires, as he roars and then blasts another burst of fire across the camp. Shouts of “DRAGON” rise up across the camp as Osa charges past the outer lines of the camp that are no longer being observed by the sentries who have rushed off to help put out the fires.
Osa rides through the camp unchallenged; the few Orangemen and Yellowmen who see her in the confusion and darkness perceive her as a northern noble and step aside out of instinct and habit. In fact, as she rides up to the giant’s command tent, his own guard kneels and opens the tent to allow her to ride in without stopping to dismount.
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