A Steampunk Guide to Hunting Monsters 18 | Page 8

about the greatest monster collection in the world! Th ere was also a bookmark in this Guide to Hunting Monsters. I noticed at once my upcoming name, Longueville, entered in among the text, as my eye has been quite keen at the sight of the word! Th is is a very strange connection to Percy’s French ancestry, and I wonder why Lu Yan should think of us at all, but for this name appearing within these pages. I recount the entry: “In the reign of James the fi rst, Sir Ruthven Gowrie hatched a plot to assassinate his King. Gowrie, a wealthy landowner in Scotland and a young man of one and twenty, was second in the line of succession.” He and his brother invited King James to their palace for a hunt, whereupon they lured the king away from his men and into the woods. King James was an avid monster huntsman and was said to detest, most of all, the wicked vampires, who, at that time, plagued the land. Both Gowrie brothers claimed to be keeping just such a creature captive in their tower, which the king was most interested in seeing. Th e boys led him back to their castle, unseen. Th ey led the King to the highest tower, unguarded, and there they revealed their true nature as members of that unholy band of vampires themselves! Th ey meant to kill the King, for as noble lords, they were next in the line of succession. It was known that they only feasted upon the blue-blood of royalty! ‘Th e