Wandering up and down the aisles, he closely examined the intermediate pieces, nodding at selected carvings that got his attention. He paused before one exquisitely carved piece of a flower sculpted from alabaster. The detail was excellent, down to the veins on the leaves. It was a minute before he realized the piece he so liked was his own.
Packed amongst the crowd sitting on stone benches, Thorgil and his father waited for the three officious looking dwarves to finish their tabulations. Thorgil recognized the one dwarf from yesterday as the one who looked at his carving. Remembering the dwarf’s praise, Thorgil hoped that would add to his chances of winning.
Clearing his throat, the older dwarf in the center tapped the result pages on the table, aligning the edges.
“We have the re
