Ramaeka (The Ramaeka Series Book 1) (9 page)

“We can’t go
over here anymore; I’m going to scout for another point this way.  You go the
other way,” he told Ramaeka pointing him to the right.

Before he
could protest Shady was gone, loping away down the wall.  Ramaeka hesitated, he
didn’t overly trust the dark haired boy and his instincts were kicking him in
the side of his gut right now.  He had never got anywhere without following his
intuition, so he figured he shouldn’t start ignoring it now.  He ran silently
to the left following the path that Shady had taken.  As he reached a bend in
the wall he heard a soft birdcall similar to the one he had heard before. 
Peering around, he watched in anger as Shady bound up his rope and over the
wall.  As he watched, the rope gave a flick and disappeared.  He scowled, his
gut had been right, Shady was leaving him behind.  He waited unsure of what to
do when he heard voices from up the wall.  A blond head appeared over near the
place where Shady had gone over.  Ramaeka’s heart lifted as Stripe looked
around anxiously.  His sensitive ears picked up his voice as Stripe turned and
spoke to Shady behind him.

“Where is he?”
he hissed.

“I don’t know,
he went off the other way to find his own way over, come on you’ll get us
caught!”

Someone,
presumably Shady yanked Stripe back.  Ramaeka heard their soft footsteps fade
away.

He scowled
there was no way he was going to let Shady get the better of him.  He listened
intently; there were no sounds except that of night time insects.  Slipping
around the corner he looked the wall over, it was fairly rough.  To a dragon
who had been raised in a mountain fortress it was really no problem at all.

Using his
strong fingers and toes he pulled himself up the wall, finding cracks and tiny
jutting pieces of stone that would have defeated a human.

Within seconds
he was over the wall.  He dropped lightly to the earth, barely jarring his legs
despite the ten length drop.  He hurried into the cover of a dark alley way
several lengths from the wall.  He stopped for a moment listening for outraged
voices or the sound of chasing footsteps, but there were none.  He hadn’t been
seen.  He let out the breath he had been holding in relief.  Then sniffed.  He
grinned, Stripe and Shady had hidden in this alley as well, and he could smell their
familiar scent.  He followed his nose down to the end of the alley bounding to
the top of the wall at the end as he followed the scent onto the roof tops.  He
hurried after it jumping from roof to roof.

After several
minutes of running, the scent stopped.  Frowning Ramaeka looked around,
rooftops spread for miles around, but he couldn’t see any sign of his two
companions.  He sighed, that meant they had probably gone to ground then.  He
jumped lightly down onto a window sill then to the ground.

A faint whiff
of Stripe immediately struck his nose before the smells of hundreds of humans
and animals overwhelmed him.  He winced and forged forward trying to catch
Stripe’s scent over the stench of close living.  He wondered how people could
live like this in tiny closed off buildings without a patch of spare earth or
grass, save for the street itself which was cobbled.  He wandered through
several streets before eventually losing the trail in a dingy unlit alley. 
Anxiously he walked back out into the street hopelessly lost.  So much for not
letting Shady get the better of him he thought darkly.

“You looking
for some company there love?” a smoky voice queried from the shadows of a
doorway.  Ramaeka jumped, he hadn’t even smelt the person’s presence over the
reek of the street itself.   Now he wondered how he could have missed it as the
smell of sweat, perfume and something rather sour assaulted his nose.

“Er, actually
I’m lost,” he replied shyly.

A woman
stumbled out of the shadows, she was dressed in very little and as she got
close to Ramaeka she pulled back her shawl slightly exposing her chest.

“Well look no
further sweetling,” she smirked at him.  “You’ve found what you’re looking
for.”

“Um,” Ramaeka
backed away.  “Actually I’m looking for my friends; I would really appreciate
it if you could help me out.”

The woman
stopped with a frown. 

“Well ain’t
you a polite one then.”  She thought for a moment.  “Alright kid, you look a
bit young anyway, who you looking for?”

Ramaeka
hesitated, she probably wouldn’t know Stripe and Shady if they were visitors,
but Shady had said that someone was going to put them up.  Who was it?

“Ma Dresden!” 
He grinned in relief.  “I need to find Ma Dresden.”

“Oh that’s
easy,” scoffed the woman.  “C’mon sweetling, follow me.”

He hurried
after her as she walked off down the street. 

“I’m Ramaeka
by the way,” he told her smiling shyly.  She blinked at him in surprise then
smiled back.

“I’m Makkie;
it’s a pleasure to meet ya Ramaeka.”

He grinned.

“A pleasure to
meet you too Makkie.”

Within minutes
Makkie had led him to a large clean looking inn that had a sign reading Drunken
Dragon on it.  Ramaeka grinned wearily at the coincidence then followed Makkie
inside.

“Oy!” yelled a
strong female voice.  A large tough looking woman bustled into the front room
scowling ferociously at them both.

“We don’t want
your lot in here, out you go then.”

She shooed at
Makkie with her hands.  Ramaeka placed himself firmly in front of his new
companion. 

“Excuse me
ma’am but I was supposed to meet two friends here.  I unfortunately got lost
and this lady was kind enough to show me the way.”

The woman
gaped at him.

“Well you’re a
strange little thing aren’t you?  And who was it that you we’re supposed to be
meeting then?”

Ramaeka smiled
endearingly at her. 

“My friend’s
name is Stripe,” he said.

“Oh so you’re
the one they’re out looking for,” she smiled slightly, the effect softening her
work roughened face. 

“You just come
into the kitchen then and set yourself down; I’ll send word out that you’re
safe and sound.”

“Please may
Makkie stay for something to eat,” he begged.  “She saved my life.”

“Well,” she
weakened at the pleading look on his face.  “Alright just for a meal then.”

Ramaeka beamed
at her and she chuckled, leading him and a shocked Makkie into the steamy
kitchen.  Which was where Stripe and Shady found him an hour later being fawned
upon by the serving women, kitchen hands and the cook.

Ramaeka looked
up as they entered the kitchen and grinned at their shocked faces.

 “Hey,” he
said happily.  “You should try some of this apple pie stuff; it’s the most
amazing thing I’ve ever tasted.” 

The cook
ruffled his hair beaming at the compliment.  Stripe stalked over glaring at
Ramaeka. 

“Are you ok?”
Ramaeka asked concerned.  “I was going to come and find you but Ma said to stay
here.”

Stripe glared
at him and whacked him lightly across the back of the head.

“Do you have
any idea how worried I’ve been?” he said scowling down at him.

One of the
servant girls sniggered and Stripe stepped back flushing slightly.

“Never thought
I’d see you going all mother hen on somebody Stripe.”  Ma Dresden looked on in
amusement.

“Well look at
him,” Stripe blushed in embarrassment.  “He’s only a little fellow; somebody
has to look after him.”

Ramaeka rolled
his eyes and pulled Stripe down beside him on to the bench.  Really he had had
enough with the little comments, he wasn’t that small. 

“Never mind
all that, try some of this pie stuff,” he said impatiently offering his friend
a spoonful.

“Don’t you
worry about that,” Ma interrupted.  “He can have his own.”  She dished up
platefuls of delicious stew for the two tired older boys, placing bowls of
apple pie and custard nearby for dessert.  She sat down herself across from
Ramaeka and Stripe.

“It’s good to
be able to sit for a minute,” she admitted.  “We’re mighty busy at the moment. 
You’re lucky I had room left for you.”

“I could help
you Ma,” Ramaeka offered earnestly.  “I’m pretty good at washing dishes.”

She could ask
him to do practically any work he thought and he’d do it willingly if she kept
feeding him the way she had tonight.  Humans seemed to eat barely half as much
as what a growing dragon like himself ate.  Not willing to look greedy he had
held back while travelling with Stripe and Shady, but he was constantly
hungry.  Ma had taken one look at his face after his first bowl of stew and had
laughingly told him she liked to see a lad with a decent appetite.  It was all
he could do not to jump up and hug her; she wasn’t nearly as tough as he had
first thought.

She laughed in
response to his offer. 

“Well aren’t
you just the sweetest thing, but that’s alright best not to let the staff get
lazy.” 

She narrowed
her eyes at the kitchen staff who all immediately became deeply involved in
some task.  She glanced back at Stripe. 

“I don’t think
you’ve been feeding the poor lad enough Mother Stripe.  That little thing ate
five bowls of stew and three bowls of apple pie and custard.”

Shady choked
on a piece of meat while Stripe stared at Ramaeka in shock.

“You really ate
that much?” he asked in surprise.

Ramaeka nodded
sheepishly.  “It’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten, better than yours and
Shady’s cooking.”

Shady scowled
looking at Ramaeka for the first time since he’d arrived.  Ramaeka was
unconcerned by his attitude, he’d lived with worse for the last fourteen years,
though he was a little annoyed that he had tried to leave him behind. 

“And who’s
going to pay for it?” he demanded.

“I will,”
Stripe replied firmly.  “How much do I owe you Ma?” he asked turning to the inn
owner.

“Not a coin,”
she replied, “Ramaeka is my guest as long as he stays here.” 

She stood up
and nodded towards the kitchen hearth. 

“You might
want to wake your friend up lad; it’s about time she got going home.”

 She bustled
out of the kitchen.

Ramaeka
immediately jumped up and walked over to the figure sitting by the fire.

“Hey Makkie,”
he said gently.  “Ma says it’s time for you to go home.” 

He watched as
the under clad woman stretched and stood up.  She must be half starved too he
thought, she had eaten almost as much as him before sitting by the fire to warm
herself.

“Thanks kid,”
she said looking uncomfortably at where Stripe and Shady were gawking at her.

“Thank you,”
he replied firmly.  “I might still be lost without you.” 

She smiled awkwardly
then made for the door.

“Hey Makkie,”
he called out.  She stopped at the door and raised an eyebrow at him.  He
fumbled in the pockets of his breeches and pulled out the golden disc which
Shady into her hand.

“Make sure you
get something warm to wear and something to eat,” he told her firmly.  “Take
care of yourself.”

She stared at
him in open shock, hand closing instinctively around the coin, before nodding
jerkily and rushing away out the door.

He closed the
door behind her with a smile as Shady and Stripe began to demand answers.

Chapter Four

Neither
Ramaeka nor Shady mentioned what had really happened outside the wall.  When
Stripe asked him, Ramaeka merely told him that they had been separated in the
dark.  Stripe had looked at him speculatively but let the topic drop. 

“I wish I
could sweet talk everybody like you,” Stripe said wistfully, five days after
their arrival, as one of the maids ruffled Ramaeka’s hair as she walked past.

They were
finishing their breakfast in the kitchen.  Shady had yet to appear downstairs. 

“Well it takes
a lot of skill,” Ramaeka replied wisely, licking his spoon clean.

“Teach me oh
great one,” Stripe pleaded dramatically grabbing hold of his hand.

Ramaeka leant
closer to his friend, glancing around mysteriously.  Stripe leaned in
unconsciously.

“Alright,” he
whispered.  “All you have to do is…”

He paused and
tapped Stripe on the nose.  “All you have to do is be nice.”

Stripe scowled
leaning away as Ramaeka sat back, laughing as his friend rubbed his nose.

“If you two
are finished playing around perhaps we could get to work?” Shady suggested
sarcastically from where he leant against the door way.

“In fact it’s
about time the little kid contributed to our finances,” he continued walking in
and grabbing an apple from the bowl on the table.

“Really?”
Ramaeka looked between the two of them hopefully, barely caring that Shady had
called him little again.  So far he had been lookout while the other two
alternately scouted out their target while the other did the actual hit.

“He’s barely
had any practice,” protested Stripe.

“Oh please let
me have a go,” he begged looking up at his friend pleadingly.

“Now I see how
you do it,” Stripe muttered under his breath.  He melted before Ramaeka’s
pleading wide eyed expression.

“Fine,” he
sighed.

“I’ll scout,”
Shady said calmly.  “Stripe’s on lookout.”

Ramaeka bound
out of his chair with a whoop.

“But before we
start, you need to put these on.”  Shady held up a pair of boots, Ramaeka
scowled at them.  The other two had insisted on buying the boots for him,
telling him firmly that he couldn’t be civilised without them.  Ramaeka would
have happily given up the experience, the contraptions pinched and rubbed at
his feet.

“No boots, no
stealing.”

“Fine,” he
grumbled yanking them on.

 “Come on
then, let’s go!” he said ushering them out on to the street.