Free Ramaeka (The Ramaeka Series Book 1) by G. Corin Page B

breathed.
    “Yeah,” Stripe
told him enthusiastically.  “It’s incredibly powerful, what I wouldn’t give to
have something like that.”
    “If we could
get back to business kids,” Shady interrupted impatiently.  They turned back to
him sheepishly.
    “So is it
dangerous then?” Stripe asked with a frown.  “If he’s close maybe we should
keep moving.”
    “Na, we’re ok,”
replied Shady.  “They’re just taking precautions, the army’s actually heading
up the coast so they’re weeks away if they actually bother coming over here.”
    Stripe nodded
looking relieved.  With that settled the three of them quickly ate dinner. 
While Ramaeka washed up, Stripe and Shady cleared up the camp so that within
the hour they were ready to go.
    Ramaeka
followed the two of them as they made their way down the hill at a light run. 
Shady skirted the open areas, staying in the tree line as they approached the
city.  It took two hours to finally make it around the side of the wall to the
point that he had picked out.
    “Right we
climb up here using the rope and it’s an easy jump to the tree on the other
side,” he whispered to them.  “When you get over, get into some cover and wait
for me.  Stripe you first when I give the signal, the boy goes next, then I’ll
bring the rope over with me.”
    They nodded
with agreement and settled back to wait.  Shady watched the wall intently as
the guards walked past, barely looking over the side as they went.
    As soon as
they had left he crept out and as Ramaeka watched in fascination, flicked a
long black length of rope over the top of one of the turrets.  He pulled it
tight and gave it an experimental tug.  Turning he signalled to Stripe who
bound up the rope with ease and disappeared over the top.  Shady pointed at
Ramaeka.  As he moved forward Ramaeka tried to suppress the wild excitement
fluttering in his stomach.  Before he got to the wall however a soft whistle
rang out and Shady wrenched him back into cover, running up flicking the rope
away from the wall.
    He coiled it
rapidly then hid beside Ramaeka motioning him to be silent.  Ramaeka waited,
watching the wall as he nervously crouched beside the other boy.  A man walked
up to the edge of the wall and peered down frowning.  He stayed a few moments
before slowly moving on, though he constantly looked back over his shoulder. 
Shady swore.
    “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