Mind Control Resistance

Josh’s words were prophetic. Not half an hour after Abbey had left, the door opened, and a guard entered. He looked at Josh. “You! Come with me.”

“Where are we going?” Josh asked.

“You have been sent for by the empress.”

Josh looked over his shoulder, and Reb called out, “Don’t give in, Josh. Remember Goél.”

More than an hour later, as the Sleepers were pacing the floor, the door opened again.

When Josh walked in and the door clanged shut, Sarah ran to him. “Josh!” she cried. “Are you all right?”

There was a harried look in Josh’s eyes, and his lips were tight. For a moment he didn’t speak.

Sarah said, “Josh, can’t you talk?”

When the words came, they came slowly. He said in a whisper, “Yes, I can talk. But that’s about all.”

“Sit down, Josh,” she told him. She pushed him down onto one of the bunks, and his friends gathered around. “Tell us what happened.”

Josh had difficulty speaking. There were breaks in his speech, and sometimes he would hesitate as if he had forgotten. He knew, however, that it was imperative that the others were prepared.

“They’ll be coming for you—one at a time,” he said. “The empress will try to put a spell on you. She’ll… light some incense, and it makes you dizzy … your mind kind of slows down.” He hesitated, while he collected his thoughts. “She’ll talk to you. She’s a good talker, real quiet and soft, and before you know it—” he looked around the group with anger in his eyes “—you find yourself agreeing with her.”

“What does she want you to do?” Wash asked.

“She wants to turn us into beings like Abbey—to serve the Dark Lord. You’ve got to keep your mind on Goél and what he’s done.” He reached out to Sarah, and she took his hand. A small smile came to his lips. “All the time she was talking, I would think of what Goél’s done for us since we came to Nuworld. As long as I could keep thinking of that, she didn’t get me. But you can’t let her take over your mind, or you’ll be lost.”