The Long War 03 - The Red Prince Read Online Free Page A

the time he awoke, to the gentle ripple of waves and the calling of sea birds, the young squire was surprisingly well rested.
    One of Makad’s men, one of the few who actually spoke to the young man, had told him that they would reach the main shipping lane within a day and then turn south towards Kessia, passing the broken ridge of jagged islands that gave the sea its name. Hoping to be on hand when they sighted another ship, Randall was spending his time on deck, enjoying the sea air and watching the Karesians go about their work.
    ‘You worry a great deal,’ said Ruth suddenly. ‘Things happen in their own time and in ways we can only accept and rarely predict.’
    Randall snorted with little elegance, showing his scorn for the words. ‘That’s one of those annoying things that sounds profound, but is basically rubbish.’
    ‘You are cynical beyond your years,’ replied the Gorlan mother.
    He laughed, more genuinely this time. ‘That is a commonly held opinion.’
    The ship was alone, bobbing gently southwards on an empty blanket of blue. Randall and Ruth stood alone against the railings of the forecastle, far from the sailors, who went apathetically about strange tasks that Randall didn’t understand.
    ‘We should mate,’ she said, as if she’d been thinking about it for a while.
    The squire raised an eyebrow at her.
    ‘You’ll forgive me if I don’t agree,’ he replied. ‘And the suggestion is a little... er, disconcerting.’ He looked at her. ‘You’re a spider.’
    Her thin lips curled into the merest hint of a smile. ‘Actually, I’m a Gorlan, not a spider.’
    A shiver travelled up his spine as he remembered their first meeting. She was, as far as Randall could tell, a huge, talking spider. He’d never liked spiders, even the small ones that killed chickens throughout the Darkwald, and Ruth was a terrifying specimen.
    ‘Have you known women?’ she asked.
    Randall’s life had moved quickly over the past year and he had been forced to miss out on the usual stages of a young man’s experience. ‘It’s strange to think that I haven’t... and that it doesn’t bother me.’
    ‘I haven’t known another’s flesh for time beyond your understanding,’ said Ruth.
    Another shiver of nerves, tinged a little with revulsion. ‘Don’t you... mate with other spiders... er, Gorlan?’
    ‘Only when the need to procreate is paramount. We eat our males after mating.’
    He took a step away from her and his eyes widened.
    ‘Do not worry, Randall of Darkwald,’ said Ruth. ‘We mate in other forms purely for pleasure. The instinct to consume applies only to male Gorlan. That is why there are no remaining Gorlan fathers.’
    ‘You are seriously scaring me,’ muttered the young man. ‘I’m no expert on seduction, but I think you’re going about it the wrong way.’
    ‘I understand that humans often use alcohol to aid seduction. Perhaps we should try that.’ She wasn’t joking and Randall wasn’t laughing.
    ‘Can’t we just forget about it?’ he asked.
    She attempted a smile. It didn’t quite work and her narrow face looked harsh and angular. ‘No, I don’t think so. Maybe I’ll try another method of seduction. What do you think would work?’
    Randall suddenly found the situation funny. He snorted with amusement, his face cracking into a broad smile. Ruth was slim and would be attractive to a man who had not seen her true form. As he looked at her, his smile became softer and he leant forward over the railing.
    ‘I don’t think any attempt at seduction would work. I’d be nervous having sex anyway, and adding the Gorlan element to the equation would probably make me catatonic.’
    ‘I could relax you,’ replied Ruth.
    ‘It would probably take a lot of booze.’ Randall instantly realized that this comment would offend a normal woman. He found it reassuring that Ruth was immune to petty annoyance.
    ‘I’m sure the captain has plenty of wine.’
    ‘Wait,’ Randall said, shaking