Butler- Mental Willpower

  Butler cocked his weapon. “Hello, Captain. Come down slowly, and don’t try any of your . . .”

  “Put your gun away,” said Holly, her voice layered with the hypnotic mesmer.

  Butler fought it, his gun barrel shaking erratically.

  “Put it down, Butler. Don’t make me fry your brain.”

  A vein pulsed in Butler’s eyelid.

  Unusual, thought Holly. I’ve never seen that before.

  “Don’t fight me, Mud Man. Give in to it.”

  Butler opened his mouth to speak. To warn Artemis. She pushed harder, the magic cascading around the human’s head.

  “I said, put it down!”

  A bead of sweat ran down the bodyguard’s cheek.

  “PUT IT DOWN!”

  And Butler did, gradually and grudgingly.

  Holly smiled. “Good, Mud Man. Now back up to the car, and act as though nothing’s wrong.”

  The manservant’s legs obeyed, ignoring the signals from his own brain.

-The Arctic Incident, Chapter 3