Free Hienama by Storm Constantine Page A

missed this har. Sometimes, he’d come over in the
evening and snuggle up to me on the sofa, seeking comfort. I wasn’t
completely sure how I felt about that. It made me think about how
soon I’d have a son of my own who’d want to do that kind of thing.
I just couldn’t see myself in that situation. But I can’t deny
there was something rewarding about the trust Orphie placed in
me.
    Ysobi was pleased about our
friendship. ‘Orphie needs to be drawn out,’ he said. ‘He and his
hostling had a rough time for a while. It affected him.’
    ‘What happened?’
    Ysobi shrugged. ‘I don’t know
exactly, but the hostling’s dead now. Orphie doesn’t like to talk
about it, and I won’t push it. He’ll talk when he’s ready.’
    A wave of cold washed through
me. ‘That explains a lot.’
    ‘You’re doing him good. Thank
you.’
    ‘Yet more training for me,’ I
said. ‘It’s useful, I suppose.’
    Ysobi pulled me close. ‘I like
it when we can work together like this.’ He paused. ‘But don’t look
on Orphie as a harling, Jass. He isn’t. He hides behind appearing
that way and that’s not what he needs now. I think, maybe, if you
want to, you could help me with the arunic part of his training. He
trusts you.’
    ‘Is that soon?’
    Ysobi nodded. ‘It’s overdue,
actually. I thought he needed more time.’
    I considered this for a moment
and then came to a decision. ‘Let me start it for him,’ I said.
‘You said yourself I could be a hienama one day.’
    Ysobi kissed my forehead. ‘You
could. How about us starting tomorrow?’
    ‘Well, better sooner rather
than later.’ I sighed. ‘I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be any
good for such work.’
    ‘It won’t hurt our pearl, I
know that.’
    I went to the Nayati the following
afternoon. Orphie was sitting in Ysobi’s living room, looking as if
he were about to be tortured to death. ‘I’m not good at this
stuff,’ he told me, hands plunged deep between his knees.
    ‘It’s not about being good or
bad,’ I said. ‘You don’t have to do anything taxing today. I’m not
going to hurt you. I’ll just show you some things. OK?’
    He nodded gravely. I saw then
what Ysobi meant. Orphie did play act at being younger than he was.
He would need careful handling.
    Ysobi came in then, and we
spent some minutes teaching Orphie about breath control and how to
sense a har’s energy field. Although Ysobi didn’t include the
sharing of breath in his training, I felt it was appropriate for
Orphie, since it could act as a kind of gentle anaesthetic, and
helped to lower inhibitions. Ysobi sat quietly while I initiated
this. Orphie was the first har I’d touched since Ysobi and I had
bonded. It felt strange, but not disloyal. I appreciated then, a
little of what Ysobi had tried to make me understand about the
student/hienama relationship.
    Ysobi kept silent and let me do
what I felt was right. He didn’t interfere throughout any of it.
Orphie seemed relaxed enough with the breath-sharing, so I
continued it for quite some time. Then, when I judged the moment
was right, I laid him back and began gently to undress him. Orphie
whimpered a little and became tense. I stroked him, and murmured
words to soothe him. ‘We don’t have to do this now,’ I said. ‘If
you want to stop, we stop.’
    He stared at me. ‘No. I want to
do this. I’m just nervous.’
    ‘There’s nothing to be nervous
of. You’re not a harling any more. You’re made for this.’
    He held my gaze. ‘The feelings
that aruna brings… they’re too powerful. It’s like you could get
lost in them.’
    I sat back on my heels,
concerned. ‘Did something bad happen to you, Orphie?’ I asked
softly.
    He shook his head. ‘Not to me, no. I
want to get over this. Can we just go slowly?’
    I nodded. ‘Of course.’ After a
pause, I said, ‘Is there anything you want to talk about
first?’
    ‘No,’ Orphie replied. ‘Let’s
just get on with it. What must I do?’
    ‘Just