Osric recalled Wulfric’s words from yesterday, “We learn more from our failures,” and considered his predicament. Two additional moons above were clear evidence that the faerie had used the web to draw him into her realm. Perhaps that had been her escape route, as well. If so, he could find her and the ring in time to claim his freedom.
His first task was to make his way to the ground. He bent himself to and fro at the waist, causing himself to swing on the narrow strand of web that brought him here. With each swing, he came nearer to one of the low-hanging branches of the surrounding trees. His momentum increased until it carried him into a branch with enough force to knock the breath from his chest and scrape his face and hands with twigs and leaves.
Osric clung to the underside of the branch and pulled himself up to a sitting position. The web untangled from around his ankles with little effort, and he could touch it without his hands sticking to it. Now free, he used the web once more to swing out of the tree and land on the ground.
He felt elated standing on the glowing moss of the forest floor. His next decision was which direction he should walk. The stars here were all different, so they gave no guide. One point on the horizon looked lighter than the surroundings, so he followed the light.
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