This month is my Mind Over Psyche book tour. It came out Sept 13 from DragonMoon. For the next couple of weeks, I'm sharing some excerpts.
This is from near the beginning of the book. As you may know from Mind Over Mind, Deryl has psychic abilities that drove him insane years ago, but working with Joshua helped him get them under control. However, no one but Joshua and Dr. Malachai believe him--and Malachai has had no intention of ever releasing Deryl from the mental institution. In Mind Over Mind, Deryl, while feverish, thought demons were after him (they were) and used telekinesis to fight them off. This scene takes place a couple of weeks later, in Dr. Malachai's office:
When Deryl didn’t answer except to glare his challenge, Malachai shrugged. “Thanks to your…demonstration…while delirious during your appendicitis, I believe it’s safe now to admit you do have some unexplainable talents, and that they may indeed be a factor in your emotional stability. Quite a breakthrough, if you think about it.” He leaned his elbows on his desk, hands clasped, and regarded Deryl with a not-quite smug smile.Deryl seethed inside, but forced himself to mimic the psychiatrist’s posture. He was getting out of this place, one way or another. “So?”Malachai raised a brow, and the fullness of the plan pressed into Deryl’s mind even before he felt the invitation.Still, Deryl squinted, making a show of concentration. No way would he let Malachai know the extent of his abilities. He’d always had a hard time reading the chief psychiatrist—now was his chance to take advantage of Malachai’s openness. Besides, he needed time to think.Malachai’s name on respected psychiatric journals. No more articles in rag-mags like Psychic Living Now!“You want to study my abilities openly…” Deryl spoke slowly.Malachai on the podium at international symposiums, presenting his findings to his peers, video of Deryl in an MRI chamber performing tricks while the results of his brain scan played on a separate screen.Malachai nodded. “In return, I will arrange for you to have outpatient status.”Deryl being called to his side, like a faithful dog, and told to perform similar tricks for Malachai’s audience.Malachai pointed to the EEG machine in the corner. That surprised Deryl; usually, it remained discreetly behind the cabinet doors until he had Deryl’s cooperation. “It’s the best we have at the moment, but enough for a start. We’ll do a simple telekinesis exercise and get some preliminary readings. Monday, I’ll use that data to arrange for more precise instruments. This is your chance at a normal life…”Malachai with his own private institute, combing the country for other psychics. A team of scientists under Malachai’s direction, drawing blood, administering drugs—playing with Deryl’s body chemistry to determine the cause of his abilities. Seeking a way to replicate them in others.A normal life? Deryl shivered. “And if I refuse?”
A barrier clamped down so hard on Malachai’s thoughts that Deryl flinched.“I think neither of us wants to investigate that possibility,” he replied, but Deryl felt the threat in his bland words.
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