Osric looked closely at the weaving in the cage. It didn’t look like a spider’s web at all. It was a distinct lace pattern, frail, ornate, and translucent. He remembered the dog and took care not to touch the strands. He assumed it was magical but couldn’t discern its purpose. He broke off a stick from the cage and used it to test the strength of the web.
When the stick made contact, the web contracted and gripped the stick, sliding up its length and enveloping Osric’s hand and wrist. “Oi, cachu,” he swore as the web yanked him off his feet and through the back of the cage. He rushed through a dark tunnel at terrific speed, his long, blond hair flying out behind him.
He saw a faint green glow ahead, and the sensation of flying changed to one of falling. The glow grew close quickly, and he put his arms around his head to brace for impact. Before he struck the ground, however, the web moved from his hand to his feet, slowing his speed to where he stopped several feet short of the ground and bobbed back upward.
Osric looked around. Wherever he was, it was still dark. Moss glowed green upon the ground beneath him, and three strange moons illuminated the leaves and branches of the trees above him. He hung upside-down like a spider on the end of a web. He closed his eyes and tried to quiet his racing mind.
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