Mantis — Richard La Plante

Cult leader Justin Gabriel has been in prison for ten years, convicted of ordering his followers to kill. He has been a model prisoner, intent always on winning parole-- and resuming the work the police interrupted. Soon he will have his one and only chance before the parole board.

For a decade Gabriel has strengthened his power to control dreams. Now he uses this power to strike against the police, the lawyers, and those who testified against him at his trial. With these men and women dead or insane, there will be no one to speak against Gabriel, and he will be freed.

In his dreams, Gabriel is already free. He destroys his enemies in their sleep. The last survivor is the police detective who captured him. The detective's nightmare begins with a vision of a great, dark bird, with a long ivory beak and razor-sharp talons. Soon he is imprisoned in a mental institution, delusional and suicidal, with the bird plaguing him night and day, awake and asleep.

Untutored in the ways of the mind, the ex-policeman must do battle with Justin Gabriel on the plane of dreams. His only weapon will be the strength of his soul. Success means he lives. Failure sets a mass murderer free.