“Mr Mobley,” Vincent said. “I am willing to take that accusation in the manner I believe it was made, which is to say, thoughtlessly. So long as I have your apology, I am willing to consider it an outburst made in a moment of surprise, that we can put behind us and speak no more about.”

Mobley visibly gulped. Jason could hear something dangerous lurking behind Vincent’s words as if his controlled enunciation was trying to keep it from getting loose. Suddenly the man with the outrageous moustache didn't seem silly at all.

“You have my apology, sir,” Mobley said.

“Good,” Vincent said. “Mr Geller, please inform the members of our group who are not aware as to the nature of trap weavers.”

“Perhaps we should disembark from the wagon first,” Humphrey suggested.

“Good idea, Mr Geller.”

Leaving the tense air of the wagon seemed like an escape. The marshland was vast, reeds and copses of trees punctuating expanses of water. The air was heavy, wet and warm, even as the sun ducked out of sight. The sky was a mixture of dark blue and orange-gold, reflected on the still mirror of marsh water.

“Instructor Trenslow,” Humphrey said. “When you were collecting notices, I didn’t see one for trap weavers.”

“It came from the Adventure Society directly,” Vincent said. “They have provided the location of the nest.”

“Sir,” Humphrey said, “trap weavers are dangerous, and this half-light will favour them strongly. Perhaps it would be best to come back in the morning.”

“I asked you to inform the group of what trap weavers are, Mr Geller,” Vincent said. “I did not ask your opinion on how I conduct this field assessment.”

“Sorry, sir,” Humphrey said. “Trap weavers are a kind of giant spider. Their main body is around the size of a man’s torso, but they stand as tall as a man with their long legs. They can produce webs that are very strong and hard to see in certain light conditions, which is why they are most active during the pre-dawn and twilight hours. The webs can be used to create traps that can ensnare a person, or to directly attack and entangle. They are highly stealthy, and can hide their aura better than most monsters.”

Humphrey gave Vincent an uncertain glance as he kept talking.

“Trap weavers roam in search of prey but return to a nest, usually in environments with water and dense trees. They use their webs to create traps that make invading their nests extremely difficult. This is especially true at the cusp of daylight where their webs are the hardest to spot.”

Humphrey’s face went hard.

“Trap weavers usually spawn in groups, at least two or three and as many as twelve or thirteen. There have been some occurrences of higher numbers, although I’m not sure of the record.”