The Crystal Sorcerers by William R. Forstchen Read Free Book Online Page A

Kochanski was thinking at the moment.
    --And roared with laughter.
    A few moments later he regained his poise and looked gravely down at his granddaughter.
    "I'm very proud of you, Sara. You are doing an outstanding job of helping Kochanski. When you see him tomorrow morning tell him that I agreed with you, and it is my command that he is to attend this class."
    "Thank you, Jartan. And you were right, too. I think I'm learning a lot about self-control and compassion from working with him."
    Sara smiled at the god and excused herself from his presence.
    The moment she left the room Jartan's smile widened into a wicked, delighted grin.
     
    Kochanski sat in the class, wishing he was dead. He couldn't recall ever being so humiliated in his entire life. Not only were these little desks too damn small, but the whole class of children was trying so earnestly to help him that he hated them all at that moment.
    In spite of his best efforts the pedestal in the center of class showed no distinct solid form, only a wavering image of the miniature statue that he was supposed to copy and create in solid form.
    A moment later he gave up, and the whole class groaned in disappointment as even the image disappeared.
    Deena, the instructor, clapped her hands to get their attention and said, "Now, children, he's still a beginner at this and he has improved, don't you think?"
    The chorus of encouraging remarks and smiles made Kochanski want to puke. This really was too much. Surely Jartan had some isolated outpost somewhere that he could volunteer for.
    A loathsomely cute little tyke smiled up at him and offered, "Watch me, Kochanski, watch me!" He turned and called, "Deena, can I go next?"
    Deena nodded. "Now remember, I want motion, not just a static copy."
    The boy responded enthusiastically, "I'm going to try to make the model walk and then wave at me. Now watch, Kochanski."
    Kochanski gazed in sullen silence as the kid created an exact copy of the small statue on top of the pedestal. Its first movements were slow and jerky, but it soon began to stroll with a fluid grace. Kochanski flicked a glance at Sara sitting next to him, and she turned to give him a blinding, reassuring smile. He hastily turned his attention elsewhere and his glance happened to settle on Deena.
    Now that's some woman, he thought appreciatively. Her dark brown hair was long and shiny, and her eyes were a golden brown, warm and lively. And that body! He had always liked his women lush rather than slim. Her breasts must be full and soft under that gown....
    Kochanski was so busy undressing Deena that he hadn't even noticed that the boy had finished his turn.
    Little eight-year-old Lindsey was sitting on the other side of Sara, watching Kochanski intently. She felt very sorry for him, trying so hard and coming so close, but just not being able to grasp the final stage. He was trying again; she could see the concentration on his face.
    Gathering up her will she slipped a narrow probe into his mind and sent a surge of power to help.
    Suddenly a solid, graceful image of Deena appeared on the pedestal. The motion of its hair and breasts corresponded exactly to Deena as she turned in surprise to stare at the statue of herself. The only difference was that the statue was breathtakingly naked.
    A roar of laughter and cheers from the children brought Kochanski back to his senses. An instant later he was on his feet, red-faced and stammering.
    Deena picked up the now immobile statue of herself and smiled at him.
    "This is truly beautiful. If I had realized that you would respond better to living material, we would have tried this earlier." Her smile became a bit more mischievous and her eyes became more direct.
    "You don't have everything exactly correct, though. Perhaps we could work on this some other time?"
    Kochanski was trying desperately to find some way to get out of the situation with a shred of dignity when he noticed that Sara was no longer smiling at him. In fact, he