The fight ignites on Kaeltripton! Last time, Arthur staked Lucy to free her soul—now the team mourns, regroups, and unites with Mina and Jonathan to hunt Dracula. Resolve hardens in grief’s wake. We’re serving this free slice of Dracula with a teaser excerpt below, followed by the full text from roughly pages 223 to 235—covering the aftermath and a pivotal meeting. We’re dishing out Dracula in chunks—keep checking back for more, or grab a $ subscription to unlock the whole saga now, plus my takes on its rallying cry. Ready to join the hunt? Let’s muster the forces!

Dr Seward’s Diary (Continued)
3 October.—After we staked Lucy, Van Helsing gathered us in the tomb’s shadow. Arthur was drained, Quincey grim, but a fire burned in their eyes. ‘She’s free,’ Van Helsing said, voice steady. ‘Her soul rests with God now—this was our mercy. But the one who made her thus lives still. Dracula must die.’ Arthur wiped his tears and gripped the bloody stake: ‘I’ll see him dust for her.’ Quincey nodded: ‘Count me in—damn the bastard.’ We left Kingstead at dawn, the weight of it sinking in—Lucy gone, but our war just begun.
Mina Harker’s Journal
3 October.—Jonathan’s rallied since reading his journal aloud to me—his strength grows with purpose. To-day, Dr Van Helsing arrived with Dr Seward, Arthur Holmwood (Lord Godalming now—his father passed yesterday), and a tall American, Quincey Morris. They came to Mr Hawkins’s house, somber but resolute. Van Helsing told us of Lucy—how they found her a vampire and ended her torment. Arthur broke down, but his voice was iron: ‘She’s at peace because of us—now it’s him I want.’ I gave them Jonathan’s typed journal—they read it in silence, faces darkening.
Van Helsing spoke first: ‘This Count Dracula is our foe—a Nosferatu, old and cunning. He’s here, in England, feeding as he fed on Lucy.’ Jonathan clenched my hand: ‘I saw him—I’ll kill him myself.’ Quincey drawled, ‘Reckon we’ve got a posse now—let’s run him down.’ Seward nodded, pale but firm. We swore an oath then—to hunt Dracula, end his evil, avenge Lucy, and save others from her fate. Mr Hawkins joined us, frail but defiant, offering his home as our base. I’ll type their notes, keep our records—my part in this war.
4 October.—Mr Hawkins died last night—quietly, in his sleep. Jonathan and I wept; he was our rock. His will names us heirs to all he had—too much to grasp now, amid this fight. We buried him to-day, a small service, and the team stood with us. Van Helsing said: ‘He fights with us in spirit—let’s honor him by winning.’ Jonathan’s feverish but fierce; he’s poring over maps, tracing Dracula’s steps. The hunt’s on.