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drool will be severely dealt with,’ she added with menace.



‘To catch the monsters before the queen lays her eggs, you will all need to be at the top of your game. As I haven’t seen the top of anyone’s game in the last year, I hold grave fears for the success of this mission. So listen.’
    Jasper’s leg was burning next to the crackling fire. He desperately wanted to move his chair away, but he didn’t want to draw attention to himself and interrupt Stenka’s speech. He decided that catching on fire was probably the better option.
    â€˜Skrinkerscreech fly in a swarm surrounding the queen,’ Stenka said as she paced up and down the room. ‘While you need to catch the queen and her eggs, it is the drones that are most dangerous to you. It is their duty to find the best place for the queen to nest. There are two things that the Skrinkerscreech queen needs to lay her eggs. One,’ Stenka cracked her stick against the board, ‘she needs a plentiful supply of screechwort from which to make her nest. Two,’ she cracked her stick again, ‘she needs an environment that is full of fear. If the drones do not find a suitable site, they will make a place fearful.’
    Stenka eyeballed the students one by one. ‘Your aim is to find the nest and get the eggs before the hatchlings can eat the screechwort. Without being attacked, obviously. The queen herself is quite harmless, yet she is mesmerising and powerful. But her eighteen drones will not wait to be provoked before they attack. They will do anything to protect her. Their antennae are able to sense any kind of threat to the queen.’
    â€˜Stenka,’ said Felix. ‘Er, what happens if we get attacked?’
    â€˜The sting from a Skrinkerscreech is very painful, Mr Brown. Within seconds, the victim erupts into hives. The hives fill with pus and burst. The victim then has open wounds leaking fluid from their bodies. It’s a hideous sight, made worse by the fact that the hives also contain a paralysing fear gas. When the hives pop, anyone close to the victim will become paralysed with fear. And once you are paralysed, it is not easy to escape the Skrinkerscreech.’
    Stenka looked particularly pleased with the response rippling around the room.
    There was a sharp rap on the door. Stenka turned. ‘ENTER!’
    A prefect marched into the room. It was the same prefect Saffy had given her cancel card to earlier in the day. He saluted Stenka and handed her a rolled-up note. As he was leaving, he spotted Felix, Jasper and Saffy by the fire. His eyes narrowed nastily.
    â€˜Gee, thanks a lot, Saffy,’ Felix whispered as soon as the prefect had left. ‘That’s just what we need. Now monsters are taking over the school and the thug brigade is out to get us. Couldn’t you have just taken the penalty points?’
    â€˜Mr Brown, unless you have a passion for collecting dog saliva, I suggest you refrain from speaking in my class,’ said Stenka, her voice like ice.
    Felix’s mouth clamped shut and he shrank into his chair.
    â€˜I have just received a red alert.’ Stenka glanced down at the note in her hand. ‘The Skrinkerscreech swarm has been detected inside the Monstrum House grounds. As of now, all classes are cancelled. You will be formed into emergency hunt crews. It is imperative that you catch the queen. Listen for a low buzzing – the sound of the monsters’ wings. You will hear it four seconds before being attacked. Although, if you hear buzzing, I imagine it will be too late to do much.’
    Stenka crushed the note in her hand. ‘Use the dog drool wisely. Unfortunately, until the capture of the monsters, the teachers will have to keep a low profile. We will communicate with the prefects in the case of an emergency. But you students will be on your own, as on any other Hunt.’
    â€˜On our own? So, if we catch a monster, what are we supposed to do