Suppress

“So, the sooner we confront this guy, the better,” Jueqel concluded. Though, it sounded more like a question then any solid conclusion. There was no immediate reply. He was looking through the window at the nothingness that lay outside. “The night had a way of hiding things you wanted to see,” he thought. No comments? When nothing was added to the conversation, he turned away from the night view to look at the men to whom he was speaking.

That's when he noticed the psychic activity in the room had increased. It happened so often in the Red House, Jueqel go used to just tuning out the psychic pulses. Besides, he had been so preoccupied with his own train of thought, he may not have noticed anyway.

Completely ignoring Jueqel, Dru and Kefen were deep in thought. Their eyes were open, but the unblinking gaze spoke of power in use. No doubt, off in their own world. Dru was sweating, and he mumbled something about Nepal.

“What is it?” Juquel asked, directing his question toward Kefen.

“Dru is remote viewing the mental hospital. It's not a very clear viewing,” Kefen began, his voice a half slurred and dream like. “Cheshin is starting to panic, I think. It's hard to tell. Something blocking me from getting much. I think he's trying to get a better look, but..,” The air around Kefen and Dru shimmered briefly. Kefen swayed back and lost his balance. His legs gave out from under him and he landed on his side. He managed to keep from falling completely and sat on the floor, arms braced. He was breathing heavily.

Then Kefen did something completely unexpected, something Jueqel had never seen nor ever heard an Oragwain ever do. He bent forward and retched onto the floor. Although he could not know it, yet. This was the beginning of disillusion for Jueqel's image of the perfect Oragwains.

Jueqel practically bowled over two chairs to get to where Kefen sat. Dru just stood there, oblivious to Kefen's state. Kefen held up a hand, palm out in a gesture that bade Jueqel stop. So, Jueqel moved no closer.

“Cheshin's with Nepal and that monster. I can't see where they are anymore,” Kefen said with his head down.

Dru had sweat coming off of him in buckets, and what looked to be, Jueqel guessed, what could only be tears?

“Help Dru,” Kefen pleaded. “His mind is caught in a psychic storm and he is getting lost.” And then in a much stronger voice with a psychic pulse that reverberated and warped the words repeatedly in Jueqel's mind, Kefen yelled, “Suppress his thoughts! Now!”

Jueqel mindlessly obeyed and let out a pulse of psychic energy of his own. However, this pulse was different. Instead of the flood of power, the sensations of dream spread over reality, the world around them quieted. Psychic activity stopped. Jueqel felt no power usage and no longer had the urge to suppress Dru's thoughts. The world was calm.

Dru fell forward and hit his head on the arm of a chair.