Barely aware of the murderous humans sweeping down on him, Handil the Drum stood and swung his vibrar under his arm. An arrow buried itself in his thigh, but he hardly felt it.

The humans were only yards away now, rushing at him, but when he turned to them, they slowed, stunned at what they saw in his eyes. In that instant, a few of them may have realized that they were looking at their own deaths. Handil raised his mallets and brought them down, and the Thunderer began to sing.

No Call to Balladine was this, no glad song of the high peaks. The rhythm of the big vibrar was a dirge, and it filled the great hall of Grand Gather with sound so intense that the humans reeled back from it.

Another arrow struck Handil, and then another, but the mallets increased their tempo, and the vibrar thundered. All around, hewn stone took up the vibrations and began to disintegrate. The cavern roared and bellowed, and huge chunks of broken stone showered down from above, crushing everyone and everything beneath them.

And above it all the sun of Krynn approached the zenith of its solstice day.