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Now the time he had waited for was upon hi its pureness and strength He had held sirew apprehensive for amoment, it remained a squared block Then its sides appeared to round as the ie of the marvelous warhammer came clear to the dwarf Bruenor’s heart raced, and he breathed in short gasps

His vision had been real

He fired up the forge and began his work at once, laboring through the night until the light of dawn dispelled the charm that was upon him He returned to his home that day only to collect the ada to the forge to sleep and later to pace nervously while he waited for darkness to fall

As soon as daylight faded, Bruenor eagerly went back to work The metal molded easily under his skilled manipulations, and he knew that before the dawn could interrupt hih he still had hours of work ahead of hie of pride at thatschedule He would attach the adaht and all would be ready for the enchantht of the summer solstice

The oooped silently down on the suided toward its prey by senses as acute as any living creature’s This would be a routine kill, with the unfortunate beast never even aware of the coitated, and its hunter’s concentration wavered at the last reat bird miss, but this time it flew back to its home on the side of Kelvin’s Cairn without a meal

Far out on the tundra, a lone wolf sat as still as a statue, anxious but patient as the silver disk of the huge summer moon broke the flat ri orb ca cry of its breed It was answered, again and again, by distant wolves and other denizens of the night, all calling out to the power of the heavens

The night of the su all but the rational beings who had rejected such base instinctual urges, had begun

In his eic distinctly But absorbed in the culmination of his life’s labors, he had attained a level of calolden lid of the shty warhammer lay clamped to the anvil before the dwarf It represented Bruenor’s finest work, powerful and beautifully crafted even now, but waiting for the delicate runes and intonations that would make it a weapon of special power

Bruenor reverently removed the small silver mallet and chisel from the coffer and approached the warhammer Without hesitation, for he knew that he had little time for such intricate work, he set the chisel on the mithril and solidly tapped it with theout a clear, pure note that sent shivers through the appreciative dwarf’s spine He knew in his heart that all of the conditions were perfect, and he shivered again when he thought of the result of this night’s labors

He did not see the dark eyes peering intently at hie a short distance away

Bruenor needed no s; they were symbols etched into his heart and soul Solemnly, he inscribed the haer on the side of one of the warhaedon, the dwarven God of Battle, across from the first on the side of the other head Then he took the silver scroll tube and gently rehed in relief when he saw that the parch the oily sweat from his hands, he re it on the flat of the anvil At first, the page seeradually the rays of the full moon coaxed its symbols, the secret runes of power, to appear

These were Bruenor’s heritage, and though he had never seen them before, their arcane lines and curves seemed comfortably familiar to him His hand steady with confidence, the dwarf placed the silver chisel between the sy the secret runes onto the warhah him from the parchment to the weapon and watched in amazement as each one disappeared from the scroll after he had inscribed it onto theto him now as he fell deeply into the trance of his work, but when he had completed the runes, he noticed that the moon had passed its peak and was on the wane

The first real test of the dwarf’s expertise caem inside the mountain syod’s sy the secret tracings of power

Bruenor knew then that his as nearly complete He removed the heavy warha He had to take several deep breaths to steady himself, for this was the final and most decisive test of his skill He loosened the cord at the top of the bag and s of the diaht of the e, Drizzt Do’Urden tensed in anticipation, but he was careful not to disturb his friend’s coain, then suddenly snapped the bag into the air, releasing its contents high into the night He tossed the bag aside, grasped the warhammer in both hands, and raised it above his head The dwarf felt his very strength being sucked from him as he uttered the words of power, but he would not truly knoell he had performed until his as cos determined the success of his intonations, for as he had etched the runes onto the weapon, their strength had flowed into his heart This power then drew the ical dust to the weapon and its power, in turn, could bediamond dust it captured

A fit of blackness fell over the dwarf His head spun, and he did not understand what kept hione beyond hih he wasn’t even conscious of them, the words continued to flow fro th Then, h the void of unconsciousness took hiround

Drizzt turned away and slue; he, too, was exhausted from the spectacle He didn’t know if his friend would survive this night’s ordeal, yet he was thrilled for Bruenor For he had witnessed the dwarf’s most triumphant moment, even if Bruenor had not, as the haic and pulled in the shower of dia dust had escaped Bruenor’s beckon