The wait for Godalming and Quincey Morris seemed endless.
Van Helsing kept us busy by making us think and talk about the situation. I could see what he was trying to do. Every now and then, he glanced at Jonathan.
Poor Jonathan was almost impossible to look at.
Only last night he had been a young, energetic man with a strong face, dark brown hair, and a happy expression. Now he looked like an old man. His hair had turned white, his eyes were hollow and burning, and grief had carved deep lines into his face.
Yet his energy had not disappeared.
If anything, he seemed to be burning with it.
Perhaps that would save him. If our plan succeeded, his determination might carry him through the worst of his despair. Once the immediate danger had passed, perhaps he would slowly return to normal life.
I thought of my own troubles and wondered how they could possibly compare with what Jonathan was suffering.
Van Helsing understood this better than anyone.
He kept Jonathan’s mind occupied by explaining what he had learned about the Count.
“I have studied every paper we have collected about this monster,” he said. “The more I study them, the more convinced I become that we must destroy him completely.”
“There are signs everywhere that he has been learning and growing stronger. He is not only powerful. He is becoming more aware of his own abilities.”
“My friend Arminius of Budapest told me a great deal about the Count’s life before he became what he is now. He was an extraordinary man—a soldier, a statesman, and an alchemist.”
“For a man of his time, his knowledge was almost beyond comparison. He had a brilliant mind, enormous learning, and absolutely no fear or remorse.”
“He even dared to study at the Scholomance. There was almost no branch of knowledge that he did not explore.”
Van Helsing paused.
“Even after physical death, his mind survived. But his memory was not perfect. In some ways, he was like a child when he first became a vampire.”
“He is still learning now.”
“Some of the things that were childish experiments at first have become much more advanced.”
“He is experimenting with his powers. And if we had not discovered him and stood in his way, he might have created an entirely new kind of creature—one that exists through death rather than life.”
Jonathan groaned.
“And all of that power is being used against Mina. But what exactly is he experimenting with? If we understand that, perhaps we can defeat him.”
Van Helsing nodded.
“Ever since he arrived, he has been testing his abilities. His mind is still growing.”
“Fortunately for us, that mind was still immature when he first began. If he had known everything he knows now, we might already have been helpless.”
“But he intends to succeed. And a creature with centuries ahead of him has no reason to hurry.”
“Slowly and carefully—that is his way.”
Jonathan looked exhausted.
“I don’t understand. Please explain it more simply. My grief may have made me stupid.”
Van Helsing placed a hand gently on his shoulder.
“My child, I will explain.”
“Have you noticed how the Count has slowly been discovering new abilities?”
“For example, he used Renfield to gain access to your home. A vampire can eventually come and go as he wishes, but at first he must be invited into a house by someone who lives there.”
“But that is only one of his experiments.”
“Remember the earth-boxes. At first, other people had to move them for him. He did not yet know whether he could move them himself.”
“Then his mind developed the idea that perhaps he could do it.”
“So he helped move them.”
“When he discovered that he could, he tried moving them alone.”
“And now he has scattered his hiding places throughout London. Only he knows exactly where they are.”
“He may have intended to bury them deep underground so that he could use them at night, or whenever he could change his form. That way, no one would know where he slept.”
Van Helsing smiled faintly.
“But he learned this ability too late.”
“Almost all of his hiding places have already been made useless to him. Before sunset, the last one will be destroyed.”
“Then he will have nowhere safe to hide.”
“I deliberately delayed our work this morning so that we could be certain of everything.”
“Remember, my child, we have more at stake than he does. That is why we must be even more careful.”
He checked his watch.
“It is already one o’clock. If everything has gone well, Arthur and Quincey should be on their way back to us.”
“Today belongs to us.”
“We must move carefully, lose no opportunities, and make sure we do not make a mistake.”
“Once they return, there will be five of us.”
At that moment, we heard a knock at the front door.
It was the familiar double knock of a telegraph messenger.
We all moved toward the hall.
Van Helsing raised his hand, telling us to remain silent.
He opened the door.
A boy handed him a telegram.
Van Helsing closed the door, checked the address, and read the message aloud.
“Watch for D. He has just left Carfax at 12:45 and is heading south. He seems to be making his rounds and may come to see you. Mina.”
Jonathan immediately spoke.
“Thank God. Then we will see him soon.”
Van Helsing turned sharply toward him.
“God works in His own time. Do not be afraid, but do not celebrate yet either. What we hope will happen may still turn against us.”
“I don’t care about anything anymore,” Jonathan said fiercely. “All I want is to wipe that monster from the face of the earth. I would sell my soul to do it!”
“Hush, my child,” Van Helsing said.
“God does not buy souls in that way. And the Devil may promise anything, but he cannot be trusted.”
“God is merciful and just. He knows your suffering and knows how deeply you love Madam Mina.”
“Think what would happen if she heard you speaking like this. It would only increase her pain.”
“None of us will abandon this fight. Today may finally bring an end to it.”
He pointed toward the window.
“During daylight, the Count is trapped in his physical form. He cannot change himself until sunset.”
“He will need time to reach us. It is already twenty minutes past one.”
“So we must hope Arthur and Quincey return before he does.”
About half an hour after Mina’s telegram arrived, someone knocked quietly at the front door.
It was an ordinary knock.
Thousands of people must have heard such a knock every day.
Yet my heart began pounding.
Van Helsing and I exchanged a glance and moved toward the hall.
We were ready to use everything we had.
Van Helsing slowly pulled back the latch.
He opened the door halfway and stood ready.
Then we saw them.
Lord Godalming and Quincey Morris were standing outside.
They hurried in and closed the door behind them.
“It is all done,” Godalming said. “We found both houses. There were six boxes in each, and we destroyed every one of them.”
“Destroyed?” Van Helsing asked.
“For the Count,” Quincey replied.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Quincey said:
“There is nothing left to do except wait here. But if he hasn’t arrived by five o’clock, we must leave.”
“We cannot leave Mrs. Harker alone after sunset.”
“He will be here soon,” Van Helsing said.
He opened his notebook and began calculating.
“Mina’s telegram says he went south from Carfax. That means he needed to cross the river.”
“He could only have crossed at the right stage of the tide, probably shortly before one o’clock.”
“The fact that he went south tells us something important.”
“He is suspicious, but he does not yet know exactly what we have done.”
“So he first went to the place where he was least likely to suspect interference.”
“You must have reached Bermondsey only shortly before him.”
“And because he is not here yet, he must have gone to Mile End afterward.”
“That journey would have taken time, especially because he had to cross the river again somehow.”
Van Helsing closed his notebook.
“Believe me, my friends. We will not have to wait much longer.”
“We should prepare our plan of attack now.”
“Have your weapons ready.”
He suddenly raised his hand.
“Quiet.”
We all listened.
A key was being inserted slowly into the front-door lock.
Even at such a frightening moment, I could not help admiring Quincey Morris.
Whenever we had gone hunting or adventuring together in different parts of the world, Quincey had always been the man who organized everything.
Arthur and I had always followed his lead without question.
Now that old instinct returned.
Quincey quickly looked around the room.
Without saying a word, he signaled where each of us should stand.
Van Helsing, Jonathan, and I positioned ourselves behind the door.
When the door opened, Van Helsing would block the entrance while Jonathan and I would cut off the Count’s path back outside.
Godalming moved behind us.
Quincey took position near the front, ready to move toward the window.
We waited.
The seconds seemed to crawl.
Slow footsteps approached along the hall.
The Count clearly suspected a trap.
Then, suddenly, he leaped into the room.
He moved so quickly that he passed us before anyone could stop him.
There was something almost like a panther in the way he moved.
Something unnatural.
For a moment, the shock of seeing him froze us all.
Jonathan reacted first.
He threw himself toward the door leading into the front room, blocking the Count’s escape.
The Count saw us.
A terrible snarl twisted his face, exposing his long, pointed teeth.
Then his expression changed into a cold, contemptuous stare.
We all moved toward him at once.
Unfortunately, we had no proper battle plan.
I wasn’t even sure whether our physical weapons could actually hurt him.
Jonathan clearly intended to find out.
He pulled out his great kukri knife and attacked.
The blow was powerful.
Only the Count’s unbelievable speed saved him.
He jumped backward just in time.
A fraction of a second slower, and the blade would have gone straight through his heart.
Instead, the knife only tore open his coat.
A bundle of banknotes fell onto the floor, followed by a shower of gold coins.
The Count’s face became so full of hatred that I feared for Jonathan.
Jonathan raised the knife again.
I instinctively stepped forward with my crucifix and Sacred Wafer raised in my left hand.
A tremendous force seemed to surge through my arm.
The same thing happened with the others.
The Count recoiled.
His hatred and fury were almost impossible to describe.
His pale, wax-like face turned a sickly greenish-yellow beneath his burning eyes.
The red scar on his forehead stood out like a living wound.
Then, with a sudden twisting movement, he slipped beneath Jonathan’s raised arm before the next blow could land.
He grabbed a handful of the money from the floor and rushed across the room.
Then he threw himself through the window.
Glass exploded around him.
He crashed into the courtyard below.
Through the sound of breaking glass, I could hear the sharp clink of gold coins hitting the stone.
We rushed to the window.
The Count was already on his feet.
He seemed completely unharmed.
He ran up the steps, crossed the courtyard, and pushed open the stable door.
Then he turned back toward us.
“You think you can defeat me?” he shouted.
“You stand there with your pale faces in a row like sheep waiting for the butcher.”
“You will regret this—all of you!”
“You think you have destroyed every place where I can rest.”
“But I have others.”
“My revenge has only begun.”
“I have centuries ahead of me, and time is on my side.”
“The women you love already belong to me.”
“Through them, you and others will become mine too.”
“You will become my creatures, doing my bidding and helping me when I need to feed.”
He gave us a contemptuous smile.
Then he disappeared through the stable door.
We heard the rusty bolt slide into place.
Another door opened and closed somewhere beyond.
Van Helsing was the first to speak.
“We have learned something—much more than you think.”
“Despite all his confidence, he is afraid of us.”
“He is afraid of time.”
“He is afraid of losing what he needs.”
“Why else would he hurry?”
“And why did he take that money?”
He looked at Godalming and Morris.
“Follow him quickly. You are hunters. You know how to track a wild animal.”
“As for me, I will make sure there is nothing left here that he can use if he comes back.”
Van Helsing gathered the remaining money and put it in his pocket.
He picked up the property deeds Jonathan had left behind.
Then he swept the remaining papers and objects into the fireplace and set them on fire.
Godalming and Quincey had already rushed into the courtyard.
Jonathan climbed through the window in an attempt to follow the Count.
But the stable door was locked.
By the time they forced it open, the Count had vanished.
Van Helsing and I searched around the back of the house.
The narrow passage was empty.
No one had seen the Count leave.
By then, afternoon was nearly over.
Sunset was approaching.
We had to admit that we had lost our chance for the day.
With heavy hearts, we followed Van Helsing back toward my house.
“Let us return to Madam Mina,” he said.
“Poor, poor Madam Mina.”
“We have done everything we can for today.”
“At least we can protect her there.”
“But we must not lose hope.”
“There is only one earth-box left.”
“Once we find and destroy it, everything may still turn out well.”
I could see that Van Helsing was speaking as bravely as possible to comfort Jonathan.
The poor man was almost broken.
Every now and then he gave a low groan that he could not suppress.
He could think of nothing except his wife.
When we returned to my house, Mina was waiting for us.
She had deliberately put on a cheerful expression.
Her courage and selflessness were extraordinary.
But the moment she saw our faces, all the color disappeared from hers.
For several seconds she closed her eyes, as if silently praying.
Then she smiled.
“I can never thank all of you enough.”
She looked at Jonathan.
“Oh, my poor darling.”
She took his gray head gently between her hands and kissed it.
“Come here. Rest your head on me.”
“All will be well, dear. God will protect us if that is His will.”
Jonathan could only groan.
His misery was too deep for words.
We ate a simple supper together.
It was not much, but somehow it helped.
Perhaps it was simply the warmth of food after going without anything since breakfast.
Perhaps it was being together.
Whatever the reason, we were all a little less miserable afterward.
For the first time that day, tomorrow seemed to hold at least a little hope.
True to our promise, we told Mina everything that had happened.
At times she became as white as snow when we described the danger Jonathan had faced.
At other times, her face flushed when we spoke of his determination to protect her.
She listened quietly and bravely.
When we reached the part where Jonathan had recklessly attacked the Count, Mina grabbed his arm and held it tightly.
It was as though she believed she could protect him simply by holding him.
She said nothing until we had finished the entire story.
Then she stood among us.
She still held Jonathan’s hand.
“Jonathan,” she said softly.
His name sounded full of love when she spoke it.
“Jonathan, my dear, and all of you, my true friends, there is something I want you to remember during this terrible time.”
“I know you must fight.”
“I know you must destroy the Count, just as you destroyed the false Lucy so that the real Lucy might one day be free.”
“But this must not become an act of hatred.”
She looked at us sadly.
“The poor soul who has caused all this suffering is perhaps the saddest victim of all.”
“Think about what his joy might be if, when he is destroyed, the evil part of him is finally separated from whatever good remains in his soul.”
“You must have pity for him too.”
“But that does not mean you should stop fighting him.”
As she spoke, I watched Jonathan’s face change.
His anger seemed to consume him from within.
His grip on Mina’s hand tightened until his knuckles became white.
Mina did not pull away, even though I knew she must have been hurting.
Instead, she looked at him with even greater tenderness.
Jonathan suddenly stood.
“May God put him in my hands long enough for me to destroy his earthly life!”
“And if I could send his soul to eternal hell after that, I would!”
“Oh, stop!”
Mina’s voice trembled.
“For God’s sake, Jonathan, don’t say such things.”
“You frighten me when you speak like that.”
She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
“Think about this, my dear. I have spent the entire day thinking about it.”
“Perhaps one day I too may need someone’s mercy.”
“Perhaps someone like you, with every reason to hate me, might refuse to give it.”
She squeezed his hand.
“My husband, if there had been another way, I would have spared you this thought.”
“But I pray that God will not remember your words as hatred.”
“Let Him remember them only as the broken cry of a man who loves his wife and has suffered beyond what he can bear.”
She looked toward Jonathan’s white hair.
“Oh God, let these white hairs speak for him.”
“Let them show how much he has suffered, even though he has spent his whole life doing what is right.”
By then, all of us men were crying.
There was no way to hold back the tears.
Mina cried too, seeing that her gentler words had finally reached Jonathan.
Jonathan fell to his knees beside her.
He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her dress.
Van Helsing quietly motioned for us to leave.
We slipped out of the room and left the two of them alone together.
Before they went to bed, Van Helsing carefully protected the room against any attempt by the Vampire to enter.
He assured Mina that she could sleep safely.
She tried to believe him.
For Jonathan’s sake, she even tried to appear calm.
It was a brave effort.
Van Helsing also placed a bell within reach of the bed so that either of them could call for help if necessary.
After they retired, Quincey, Godalming, and I agreed to stay awake through the night.
We would take turns guarding Mina.
Quincey took the first watch.
Godalming would take the second.
Now that my own work was finished, I went to bed.
I thought yesterday would never end.
I desperately wanted to sleep.
Some part of me believed that if I woke again, perhaps everything would somehow be different.
And surely any change would have to be for the better.
Before we separated, we had discussed what to do next.
But we had reached no clear decision.
All we knew was that one earth-box remained.
Only the Count knew where it was.
If he chose to hide it, he might remain beyond our reach for years.
And during those years—
I cannot bear to think about what might happen to Mina.
One thing, however, I know with complete certainty.
If there has ever been a woman who deserves to be called perfect, it is my poor, wronged Mina.
After what she said tonight, I love her more than ever.
Her compassion made my hatred of the Count seem small and ugly.
Surely God will not allow the world to lose someone like her.
That thought gives me hope.
We are all drifting toward disaster, and faith is the only anchor we have.
Thank God, Mina is sleeping.
And she is sleeping peacefully, without nightmares.
I am terrified of what her dreams might become after everything she has endured.
But since sunset, I have not seen her this calm.
For a moment, her face seemed peaceful and almost beautiful, like spring arriving after a long winter.
At the time I thought it was only the light of the sunset.
Now I wonder whether it meant something more.
I am not sleepy, though I am exhausted.
Still, I must try to sleep.
Tomorrow awaits us.
There will be no rest until—
Later that night, I must have fallen asleep.
Mina woke me.
She was sitting upright in bed, looking frightened.
The room was not completely dark, so I could see her clearly.
She placed a finger against my lips.
“Hush,” she whispered. “Someone is in the corridor.”
I quietly got out of bed and crossed the room.
I opened the door carefully.
Just outside, Quincey Morris was lying on a mattress.
He was wide awake.
He raised a hand and whispered:
“Hush. Go back to bed. Everything is fine.”
“One of us will stay here all night.”
“We are not taking any chances.”
His expression made it clear that he did not want to discuss the matter.
I returned to Mina and told her what he had said.
She sighed.
A faint smile appeared on her pale face.
“Oh, thank God for good, brave men.”
She put her arms around me.
Then she lay back down and fell asleep.
I am writing this because I am not sleepy yet.
But I must try again.
Morning came.
I woke once more to Mina.
This time we had all slept fairly well.
Dawn was beginning to brighten the windows, turning them into pale rectangles of gray light.
The gas flame now looked tiny compared with the growing daylight.
Mina spoke urgently.
“Go and get the Professor. I need to see him immediately.”
“Why?”
“I have an idea.”
“I think it came to me during the night, and somehow became clearer while I slept.”
“He must hypnotize me before sunrise.”
“If he does, I believe I will be able to speak.”
“Please go quickly. There isn’t much time.”
I went to the door.
Dr. Seward was resting on the mattress outside.
The moment he saw me, he jumped to his feet.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“No,” I replied. “But Mina wants to see Dr. Van Helsing immediately.”
“I’ll get him.”
He hurried to the Professor’s room.
Two or three minutes later, Van Helsing entered wearing his dressing gown.
Quincey and Lord Godalming stood outside the door with Dr. Seward.
When Van Helsing saw Mina, his anxious expression suddenly disappeared.
He smiled.
Not just a polite smile.
A real smile.
He rubbed his hands together happily.
“My dear Madam Mina! This is wonderful.”
He looked at me.
“Friend Jonathan, our dear Mina is returning to her old self!”
Then he turned to her.
“What can I do for you at this hour?”
Mina answered immediately.
“I want you to hypnotize me.”
“Do it before sunrise.”
“I feel that during this time I can speak freely.”
“Please hurry. There isn’t much time.”
Van Helsing said nothing.
He simply motioned for her to sit upright in bed.
He stared into her eyes and slowly moved his hands in front of her face, passing them downward from above her head.
Mina stared back.
For several minutes she remained perfectly still.
My heart was pounding.
I could feel that something important was about to happen.
Gradually, Mina’s eyes closed.
She sat motionless.
Only the gentle rise and fall of her chest showed that she was still awake.
Van Helsing made a few more passes with his hands.
Then he stopped.
Great drops of sweat stood out on his forehead.
Mina opened her eyes.
But she no longer seemed completely herself.
There was a distant look in her eyes.
Her voice had become soft and dreamy.
Van Helsing raised a hand, telling me to bring the others inside.
Quincey, Godalming, and Seward entered quietly.
They closed the door and stood at the foot of the bed.
Mina seemed unaware that they were there.
Van Helsing spoke in a low, steady voice.
“Where are you?”
Mina answered without emotion.
“I don’t know.”
“Sleep has no place of its own.”
For several minutes, nobody spoke.
Mina remained rigid.
Van Helsing watched her closely.
None of us dared to breathe loudly.
The room was becoming brighter.
Without looking away from Mina, Van Helsing motioned for me to raise the blind.
I did so.
Daylight was almost here.
A red line appeared in the eastern sky.
A warm pink glow slowly spread across the room.
Van Helsing spoke again.
“Where are you now?”
Mina answered dreamily.
“I don’t know. Everything feels strange.”
“What do you see?”
“Nothing. It is completely dark.”
“What do you hear?”
I could hear the strain in Van Helsing’s patient voice.
“The sound of water.”
“It is moving and bubbling beside me.”
“Small waves are hitting the outside.”
“Then you are on a ship?”
We looked at one another.
None of us dared to speak.
Mina answered immediately.
“Yes.”
“What else do you hear?”
“I hear men running above me.”
“They are stamping their feet.”
“There is a chain creaking.”
“And I can hear the loud clicking of the mechanism on the capstan.”
“What are you doing?”
“I am still.”
“Very still.”
“It feels like death.”
Her voice faded into a long breath.
Her eyes closed again.
By then, the sun had risen.
The room was filled with daylight.
Van Helsing placed his hands gently on Mina’s shoulders and lowered her head onto the pillow.
She lay there like a sleeping child.
After a few moments, she sighed deeply and woke.
She stared around the room in surprise.
“Have I been talking in my sleep?”
She seemed to understand that something important had happened, even though she could not remember what she had said.
Van Helsing repeated the entire conversation.
Mina immediately became alert.
“Then we cannot waste a single moment.”
“It may not be too late.”
Quincey and Godalming started toward the door.
Van Helsing stopped them.
“Wait.”
“That ship, wherever it was, was weighing anchor while Mina spoke.”
“There are many ships doing that at this moment in the great Port of London.”
“Which one are we looking for?”
He smiled slightly.
“Thank God, we have another clue.”
“We did not understand what the Count was doing when he took the money.”
“Now we do.”
“He was trying to escape.”
“Think about it.”
“He knew there was only one earth-box left.”
“He knew we were following him like hunters after a fox.”
“London was becoming too dangerous for him.”
“So he took the final earth-box aboard a ship.”
“He intends to leave the country.”
He raised his voice excitedly.
“But he will not escape us!”
“Tally-ho!” he cried, using Arthur’s hunting expression.
“Our old fox is clever—very clever.”
“So we must be cleverer.”
Van Helsing’s confidence returned.
“For now, we can rest.”
“There is water between us and him.”
“He cannot cross that water whenever he wishes.”
“Unless his ship reaches land, he is trapped there.”
“And even then, he can only come ashore at the right stage of the tide.”
He looked toward the brightening sky.
“The sun has just risen.”
“We have the entire day until sunset.”
“So let us bathe, dress, and eat breakfast.”
“We need our strength.”
“And we can eat in peace for now, because the Count is no longer on the same land as us.”
Mina looked at him anxiously.
“But why do we need to keep searching for him if he has gone away?”
Van Helsing gently took her hand.
“Ask me nothing yet.”
“After breakfast, I will answer all your questions.”
He would say no more.
We separated to dress.
After breakfast, Mina asked him again.
Van Helsing looked at her sadly for a moment.
“Because, my dear Madam Mina, now more than ever we must find him.”
“Even if we have to follow him to the gates of Hell.”
Mina became pale.
“Why?”
Van Helsing’s voice was solemn.
“Because he can live for centuries.”
“You are only a mortal woman.”
“Time is now our greatest enemy.”
“Especially because he has already placed his mark upon your throat.”
I barely had time to catch Mina before she collapsed forward in a faint.