Ramaeka (The Ramaeka Series Book 1) (12 page)

Panting he
dodged his way up the rocky hillside, ignoring the brambles and shrubs that
caught at his skin.  The troll crashed its way up behind him.  It had the
advantage over him, this was its territory and it was large and strong enough
to force its way through the clinging bushes much faster than he was.

A quick glance
back showed him that it was right on his heels.  He forced himself to speed up
though it didn’t seem to make any difference.  Ramaeka spotted a huge tree up
ahead.  Up the tree he thought frantically, it’s heavier than I am and the
branches won’t support it up top.

He shimmied up
the tree, clinging to it like a serpent, the beast’s hot breath on his feet. 
Climbing as fast as he could, he made it three quarters of the way up before he
heard a cracking sound below him.  The beast was climbing the tree.  Heart in
mouth Ramaeka watched as it hauled itself up.  Then, with a resounding crack,
the branches beneath its feet gave way and the troll tumbled to the ground.

Ramaeka
crouched on a large branch, getting his breath back as he grinned down at the
beast below him.  It howled its rage up at him, gnashing its teeth together as
it raged around the clearing.  He stuck his tongue out at it.  Now all he had
to do was wait for it to lose interest which surely wouldn’t take long he
thought reasonably.  As stupid as it was he doubted that its attention span
would last that long.

Suddenly the
entire tree shuddered beneath him.  He clutched desperately at his branch as
the troll slammed into the tree again, causing it to shudder and rock wildly.

Oh rocks
Ramaeka thought, it was obviously not going to be losing interest in him.  The
troll hit the tree again, this time Ramaeka heard faint cracking sounds, two
more hits like that and the tree would topple.  Sorry, he thought guiltily
patting its bark, I didn’t mean for this to happen.  He looked around, hoping
to see a way out or at least signs of his friends.  No such luck, the trees
around the one he was on were just out of reach and the other side opened up
into a deep ravine.  I could change he thought, nobody would know.  But if his
friends did catch up and saw him...  There must be another way he thought
desperately. 

Crash!  A
rumbling crackle went up the inside of the tree.  One more hit would do it
thought Ramaeka anxiously.  The troll was obviously thinking the same thing. 
It looked up at him one paw on the tree, sneering cruelly as drool oozed down
its jaw.  What do I do? he wailed silently looking around desperately. 

The other side
of the ravine caught his eye.  It was fairly narrow he thought.   If I can get
the tree to fall that way then it should stretch right across.

He patted the
tree and whispered an apology, just in case.  Looking down he saw the troll
lining up with the tree.  Drawing on his own core of magic he pushed the dirt
under the roots of the tree opposite from the ravine up hard so that it rocked back
towards the edge.  Please let this work he thought as the beast ran at the
tree.

There was a
roaring cracking sound that seemed to shake the ravine walls as the great tree
tumbled over, splitting slightly as it fell.  Birds went flying into the air from
the surrounding trees, cawing and chirping harshly.  By pure luck, Ramaeka
thought later, the tree slowly toppled over the ravine.  Its crown hit the
ground on the other side with a thud.

Ramaeka clung
on desperately, his feet dangling over the deep drop of the ravine, his arms
numb from the shock of the impact of the tree.  Slowly he hauled himself up and
onto the trunk of the now horizontal tree.  He groaned as he lay on top of it,
the feeling returning to his arms, and it wasn’t a good feeling.

A snarl broke
him out of his self pity in a hurry.  The troll was carefully making its way
across the fallen tree towards him.  He made it to his knees and began to crawl
as fast as he could across to the other side of the ravine.  Rustling told him
that the beast was following him closely.  This was so unfair he thought
helplessly, stupid troll not leaving me alone.  Get to the other side and run
he told himself firmly, ignoring his aching arms and crawling faster.

A shudder ran
through the trunk.  Looking back Ramaeka saw that the troll, confident that it
wouldn’t fall, was now bounding across the trunk.  Transform his instincts told
him, transform and fly away or even kill this thing for thinking it had a
chance against you.  No, he thought firmly and abandoning all sense of caution
he got up and ran.  He reached the end of the trunk just as the troll reached
him.  He dropped to the ground as it bound at him across the trunk, flying over
his head.  It hit the ground then turned quickly and leapt at him again.  Ramaeka
had an impression of huge yellowed fangs and nasty claws before a bolt of what
seemed like pure light blinded him.

He rubbed his
eyes frantically, trying to clear the spots.  As his vision cleared Ramaeka
realised a boy was crouching in front of him.

“Are you all
right?” the boy asked politely.  “I did not mean to blind you.”  He pressed a
soothing hand to Ramaeka’s head and his vision instantly cleared as did his
mind.

“Where is it?”
he asked jumping to his feet.  The boy rocked back in surprise.  Getting to his
feet he pointed over the side of the ravine.  Ramaeka peered over cautiously;
the troll was lying on its side, hundreds of lengths down.  Even as he watched
it moved slightly, and then crawled to its feet shakily.

“Tough
creatures,” the boy commented.

Ramaeka nodded
wearily.  “Tell me about it.  But how did you stop it?”  

He looked the
boy over intently.  He was only about Stripe’s age, two years older than
Ramaeka, and was very ordinary looking, except for his eyes.  Their colour was
indescribable, more like a mixture of every colour possible whirling around
together, but separate.

The boy smiled
slightly.  “It is a technique of fighting with magic that I am particularly
good at,” he told Ramaeka calmly. 

He had a
strange accent and a polite stilted way of talking but there was something
about him that made Ramaeka like him, despite the hairs on the back of his neck
standing on end.

“I’m Ramaeka,”
he introduced himself.

“My name is
Amar,” the boy returned bowing slightly.  “What are you doing all the way out
here by yourself Ramaeka?”

“I’m not by
myself,” he explained.  “My friends and I are camping….”

He stopped. 

“My friends! 
I need to go find them.”

Ramaeka turned
and ran back to the tree trunk and clambered on to it again.  He paused before
venturing out over the ravine and looked back.

“Er did you
want to come along?” he asked unsurely.  Amar looked him over for a moment then
nodded and walked over to a pack Ramaeka hadn’t noticed, settling it over his
shoulders.

Ramaeka forced
his aching legs into a run as he sped back down the mountain.  Why is it always
me that everything happens too?  He thought tiredly as he crashed down through
the shrubs.  Amar easily kept pace beside him despite the fact that he was
carrying a large pack.  Ramaeka noticed that he moved almost silently,
especially compared to his own crashing and stumbling.  As they got closer to
the lake where they had been camping he heard voices calling his name.

“I’m here” he
yelled, stopping for a moment to catch his breath.  A moment later there was a
flash and he was wrapped up in a painful embrace that was half hug and half
headlock.

“Are you ok? 
I was so worried,” Stripe’s voice came from above him somewhere.  He managed a
choking sound.  Stripe immediately let go of him.

“Sorry” he
said sheepishly looking Ramaeka over for injuries.

“I’m ok,”
Ramaeka promised getting his breath back as Shady joined them.  “Just cuts and
bruises.  Lots and lots of bruises.”

Shady nodded
at him.  He had a bandage wrapped around one of his arms and several scratches
on his face.  Stripe was wearing what looked like two black eyes but other than
that the two of them didn’t look overly injured.

“What happened
with your troll?” he asked.

Stripe’s
expression of worry immediately changed to one of self satisfaction.  However
before he could say anything Shady interrupted.

“We’ll tell
you everything later.  We need to find somewhere else to sleep.  First of all
perhaps you should introduce your friend?”

He looked
meaningfully behind Ramaeka.  Ramaeka turned around to find Amar leaning
against a tree and watching them with interest.

“This is Amar,”
he explained.  “He saved my life by throwing light at the troll.”

“Magic
actually,” Amar murmured nodding at Stripe and Shady.

“You can do
magic?” asked Stripe his eyes narrowing.

“Yes,” replied
Amar calmly, he turned to Shady.  “There is a place further in that I had
chosen to camp at already.  It’s sheltered from the wind so no beasts will be
able to pick up our scent.  If you wish to join me that is.”

Ramaeka
watched as Shady and Stripe exchanged one of their strange non verbal
conversations.  Finally Shady nodded. 

“Alright then,
let’s get going.” 

He chucked
Ramaeka his pack and followed Amar up into the trees.

Amar was
right; the spot he had chosen was well sheltered.  Ramaeka fell asleep the
instant he lay down on the mossy ground.  Stripe woke him several hours later.

“Poor little
thing,” he said with a grin as Ramaeka rubbed the sleep from his eyes.  Ramaeka
shoved him over then stood up to stretch his aching legs.  Delicious smells
were emanating from a pot bubbling over a small fire.

“Isn’t it
dangerous to have a fire going if those things are still around?” he asked.

“Apparently
Amar can do magic or something and hide us,” Shady growled in his usual
sardonic tone.

“Really?”
Ramaeka asked in surprise looking Amar over more closely, cloaking and
protection magic was taught to the older dragons and something Ramaeka had
desperately wished he knew especially since coming to the human world.

“Yes,” Amar
replied placidly.  “I am rather skilled in the art of magic.”

“That’s great,”
Ramaeka looked at him hopefully.  “Maybe you could teach me some magic too? 
And how to throw light at things?” 

Magic he
thought, one of the things he missed most about his own world. 

“Do you know
hand to hand combat?” Amar asked him.  “It will be easier for you to learn to
channel your energy and magic if you do have some knowledge.”

“Not really,”
Ramaeka replied unsurely, he definitely knew how to fight in his dragon form
but not in his lesser form.

“I’ll teach
you,” Stripe interrupted putting an arm protectively around Ramaeka’s shoulders
and glaring at the newcomer.

Amar merely
nodded politely.  “I will be happy to teach you along with Stripe.”

“That is if we
are headed in the same direction,” he added.

“Where are you
heading?” Shady asked.

“Porkae, and
then possibly north from there.”

 “That’s the
same as us!” Ramaeka beamed.

“Whoa wait
just a second,” frowned Stripe.

Shady
interrupted him before he could continue. 

“Would you
excuse the two of us please?” he asked Ramaeka and Amar politely.  He took
Stripe by the arm and dragged him away out of ear shot.  At least it would have
been out of ear shot if he was human thought Ramaeka humorously.  He absently
stirred the contents of the pot as he secretly listened to what they were
saying.

“We don’t need
anyone else travelling with us,” Stripe hissed.  Strange really since Stripe
was the one who had welcomed Ramaeka into the group to begin with, Ramaeka
wondered why he was refusing Amar.

“Look I don’t
want any other idiots tagging along either but this guy has skills we could use
and learn,” Shady replied in a whisper.  He waved away Stripe’s protest.

“These
mountains are dangerous, and you always wanted to learn magic.”  Shady paused
and looked at Stripes face; Ramaeka quickly ducked his head down and
industriously poked at the fire.

“You were
happy to bring the brat along which I still don’t get; you hate other people
tagging along as much as I do.”

“There’s a
difference between a badly hurt little kid and some random guy travelling in
the wild.  Who goes over the mountains by themselves?”

“Well I still
don’t trust that kid, there’s something strange about him.  Nobody heals that
fast.”

“I trust him,
he’s a little strange but I can tell he’s okay.”

Shady sighed.

“Look it’s
only to Porkae, I promise.”

“Fine,” Stripe
grumbled.

They both
walked back to the fire.  Shady nodded at Amar.  “You can travel with us to
Porkae if you want to”

Amar nodded
assent then pulled the pot off the fire and began to serve the contents.

“So what
happened when you ran out of camp?” Stripe asked Ramaeka.

Ramaeka
described everything which had occurred after he had run out of the camp with
the troll on his heels.  Even Shady was impressed, and Stripe laughed and
whacked Ramaeka lightly over the head when he told them that he had poked his
tongue out at the troll.

“You would
have deserved to be eaten, being cheeky like that.”

“It wasn’t the
smartest thing to do, but I didn’t think the crazy thing would even understand,”
he protested.  Stripe just laughed.

“So what
happened to your troll?” Ramaeka asked wiping his plate with a chunk of
traveller’s bread.

“Oh don’t get
him started,” Shady groaned, rolling his eyes.

Stripe grinned
smugly. 

“I killed it
with my sword.  It was flinging me around trying to get me off its back but I
kept hitting it and Shady was throwing rocks at it.  Then it just took off
straight at him and I thought that’s it, I’ve gotta stop mucking around and
save my friend!  So I swung my sword around as hard as I could right through
its head.”