CHAPTER 15. WARDEN APPO — RULER OF THE HERMITS

While the prisoners in the cellar were only just preparing to escape, Warden Appo met with three Wardens and led them to his house. The offer he intended to make was simple — total submission or death.
Appo was far from a foolish goblin, and he didn’t want to press them right away. Though with the Ant Power he could easily have done so. But he understood perfectly well that voluntary submission was always better than submission under a raised sword. So Appo was counting on the Ant Power to break any resolve to resist, rather than to force them into submission.
“I welcome you, and thank you for agreeing to come at my request,” Warden Appo began. “We are goblins of one clan, but more and more we forget that, each of us buried in his own concerns. And that’s no surprise. Our life is far from as easy as that of the other clans, especially the Bignoses. It’s they who have fertile land and lush meadows. It’s they who drink their fill of skauti, gorge themselves on mutton, and have honey with it. While we make do with scrawny sheep carcasses and potatoes the size of a fingernail. But why must we endure such injustice? Why must we be the shield of the eastern borders, while the Bignoses live peacefully in the center of the forest and enjoy our protection? I propose we set this right, and show that the Hermits are far from the least clan in this forest.”
“There’s no lie in your words,” answered a Warden named Shaka. “But the Bignoses and the other clans don’t do us any harm. Yes, they live on better lands, and perhaps at times they’re arrogant. But the time will come when the Supreme Rider will punish them for it.”
“And where was the Supreme Rider when the Bignoses conquered our goblinums and made our whole clan suffer? Answer me, Shaka!” Appo almost shouted.
“I don’t remember any such thing. And the other Wardens will say the same. What are you talking about?”
“About a war that happened a very long time ago. It’s told of in a manuscript that none of you, of course, has read,” Appo said with a smirk.
“We know that the past is kept in the ancient manuscripts. But we live in the present. Why disturb what’s long since gathered dust? Our ancestors’ manuscripts are sacred and should peacefully live out their days until they crumble into nothing. Who even brought them back from oblivion?” Shaka asked, displeased.
“That’s not important. What matters now is something else — how you’ll respond to what I’ve already said, and to what I’m about to say. I want our clan, under the leadership of a strong goblin, to become truly united.”
“And who exactly will stand at the head of this union?” asked a Warden named Kor.
“The one who already has military strength, and who has what will make all of us invincible. I call on you to submit to me and swear an oath of complete service.”
Kor smirked.
“You see, Appo, so far I haven’t seen anything in you that we don’t already have. So why should we submit to you, if you’re no different from us?”
“You speak rightly, Kor. But you see only my outward form. It’s true, it’s the same as any of yours. Nevertheless, inside me there is now a strength that no goblin in this forest has. And it’s exactly that which gives me the right to lead our clan.”
“Then show us how an ordinary goblin turned into a cave bear,” Kor persisted.
Appo swept a calm gaze over those present, and let it rest on Kor. Then he walked slowly up to him and loomed over him. Right now he looked like a huge boulder, about to come crashing down on a careless traveler.
Kor decided that Appo was trying to frighten him with his appearance. He stayed calm, because he himself was a large goblin. Kor was already about to throw a couple of sharp words in this upstart’s face, but he didn’t get the chance.
Warden Appo grabbed him by the throat in a flash and lifted him with ease, so that the goblin’s legs kicked helplessly in the air. Then, unhurried, he walked to the door, opened it, and looked off into the distance somewhere. The whole time, Kor struggled desperately to break free of the iron grip. But no matter how hard he strained, not a single finger on his throat so much as moved.
Appo seemed not to notice at all. He made a short motion with his hand, and his captive went flying clear across the square. The goblins standing there watched the flying Warden in astonishment. A moment later Kor crashed to the ground and groaned in pain.
Pleased with himself, Appo closed the door and, as though nothing had happened, glanced at the remaining Wardens. Both were shaken. Fear, astonishment, and even respect mingled on their faces. They had never before seen a goblin so strong.
“How did you manage to gain such incredible strength? It looks like sorcery. Won’t it destroy us?” the elderly Warden Bazur asked cautiously.
“Don’t worry, Bazur. This power is natural. It was born in our forest.”
At that moment the door opened, and Kor appeared in the doorway. He moved his bloodied legs with difficulty, and pressed a hand to a wound on his head. With great effort the goblin lowered himself onto the bench and looked at Appo. But there was no hatred in his eyes. Only submission, and an acknowledgment of strength.
“You ought to thank me, Kor,” Appo said calmly. “At first I wanted to throw you into the pen with the riding rams. You’re just as stubborn as those animals. But then shame would have followed you for the rest of your life. And I don’t wish that on you. You’re a worthy goblin, and you should remain the Warden of your own goblinum. I only want you to submit to me and serve honestly.”
Kor bowed his head.
“I submit to you, and I recognize you as the supreme ruler of my goblinum. I swear an oath of service and of carrying out any order. If I break it, then I deserve severe punishment.”
Following him, the other Wardens did the same. After what they’d seen, their desire to resist had vanished. Besides, they didn’t consider their decision a betrayal. They remained Wardens of their own goblinums as before, while supreme power passed to a goblin from their own clan. That not long ago he had been contemptuously called a wild goblin, everyone had already managed to forget.
“Well, it’s good that none of you decided to be stubborn,” Appo said with satisfaction. “Serve me honestly, and one day you’ll gain the same strength I have now. But remember this: if anyone takes it into his head to betray me, he’ll suffer torments compared to which even death will seem like a sweet dream.”
He paused and went on: “Now the Hermits have a single ruler. And soon this forest will hear of us. I believe our talk is over for today. You may go. Tomorrow morning you’ll receive my first orders.”
Before long Appo was left alone, and he no longer had to hide his triumph. He wasn’t about to jump for joy, but pacing the room with a smug smile — that he could allow himself. Everything had gone even better than he’d expected. What Appo had feared most was that one of the Wardens might refuse to submit and set a bad example for the rest. Cages had already been prepared for just such a case. But then subduing the goblinums would have dragged on for a long time. And after the Bignoses had been exposed, there was no time left at all. Now, though, the deed was done. After swearing the oath of loyalty, the Wardens would hardly dare to disobey him. That was the unwritten goblin law of submission. Though Warden Appo still had to strengthen his hold over them and bring it to full, blind obedience. And in this, the Ant Power was meant to help him once again. As it turned out, it terrified and broke the will better than ten severed heads.
Right now, though, he needed to see to forming an army and settle the matter of the three Bignoses. Warden Appo gave orders to summon Lukdun and Dagul. Despite the mistake Dagul had made on the Bignoses’ lands, he had no intention of punishing him. This goblin, no fool, was entirely in his power, and would carry out any order. Besides, he hadn’t given in to the temptation to keep the Ant Power for himself, and that was very important.
The next morning the Wardens gathered again to hear their supreme ruler. Appo greeted them, and even asked after Kor’s health, pretending it wasn’t he who was to blame for his current condition. Having received assurances that the wounds and bruises wouldn’t get in the way of carrying out orders, Appo said: “Today you’ll head home. I want each of you to pick out a hundred goblins. My best warrior, Lukdun, will turn them into real fighters. Dagul will go with you” — he pointed to a goblin who had just come up — “he’ll bring your goblins here. This will now be the main goblinum of the Hermits.”
Having dismissed Lukdun and Dagul, Appo turned back to the Wardens: “Now I want to show you something. Yesterday one of you spoke of the Bignoses’ arrogance. But, as it turns out, they’re also extremely curious. So they sent spies to us. Making use of my hospitality, they went poking into every corner of our goblinum. Still, I quickly realized they weren’t here to do any good. So right now those three are sitting in the cellar, in an iron cage.”
“But why did the Bignoses come here? What did they want?” Warden Shaka asked, bewildered.
“That’s exactly what we’re about to find out from them,” Appo answered, and led everyone toward the cellar. The idea had come to him that morning. If he showed the Wardens the captured spies, they would have almost no doubts left about the Bignoses’ hostility. His suspicions would look justified, which meant his influence over the Wardens would grow even stronger. And if the prisoners started talking about the Ant Power, he would find the words to make them out to be the guilty ones. After all, it was the Bignoses who were the prisoners, not him.
Reaching the cellar, Appo ordered the bored guard to open the door. While the guard fumbled with the lock, the Warden asked whether all the prisoners were still alive. “All alive, Warden. You ordered me not to go in to them. Only if one of them died. So I didn’t go in. Though last night, for some reason, they were shouting loudly and asking for light. But I stayed outside. I told them I was forbidden to go in. Unless, of course…”
“I understand, that’s enough,” Appo cut him off sharply. “Open the door.”
A moment later the lock clicked, and the four goblins began climbing down. The first thing they saw was the empty cage. The dim candle lit the far end of the cellar poorly. So, finding no prisoners, Appo was thrown off balance. In that first instant his gaze darted to the door. Suspicion fell at once on the guard. He was already about to call him over when he heard Shaka’s excited voice: “Look! There’s light coming through from the far wall! How didn’t we notice it right away?”
Appo practically bolted over there. The candle picked out of the darkness the bent-open bars of the cage and the passage filled in with dirt, through which a thin ray of light was breaking.
“Not even the strongest beast in the Goblin Forest could have done this,” Shaka said, frightened. “Who, then, turned out to be stronger than iron?”
The other Wardens studied the hole with no less fear. Thoughts of sorcery had already begun to appear in their minds.
Appo, too, was shaken, but for an entirely different reason. He had already realized what power had helped the Bignoses get out. And he’d guessed exactly how it had come into their hands. On the first night, they hadn’t tried to escape. The escape had only happened after the cloaks were brought to them. Mor’s request had surprised him at the time. Yes, it had been cold in the cellar, but for a goblin, such a chill was only unpleasant, not dangerous.
So he hid the Ant Power in the cloak that I returned to him with my own hands, Appo thought. It turns out that young Bignose made a fool of me. Like the stupidest goblin in the forest. No, I won’t forgive this. And my revenge will catch up with him soon.
“I wonder what they were hiding, if they were so eager to escape from here?” Kor asked, without even suspecting that he’d already fallen into his ruler’s trap.
“That’s exactly why they escaped,” Appo picked up at once. “My instinct didn’t fail me. I intended to speak with them once more and get to the bottom of everything. But this escape speaks for itself. What’s more, I suspect they had orders to kill me. And then, perhaps, some of you as well. But the Bignoses grew afraid of my strength and my warriors. They were waiting for the right moment, but, fortunately, they were caught before that.”
“There it is — the treachery of these vile Bignoses, which you didn’t want to believe in. I already told you about the ancient war. Back then, they started it out of a wish to possess the whole Goblin Forest. And now, many generations later, that same thirst for glory has awoken in them again. And once again, they chose the Hermit clan as their first victim. But the Bignoses are mistaken. This time, they will be the victims.”
Appo watched the goblins’ reaction closely. And it seemed his words had hit their mark. The Wardens nodded approvingly and spoke up resolutely about punishing the Bignoses, though they still hadn’t fully understood exactly what they were about to punish them for.
Everything is falling into place even better than I expected, Appo thought, walking out of the cellar. But now I need to hurry. The escapees are surely trying to get home quickly. We won’t be able to catch up with them — they have the Ant Power. So I need to set out as quickly as possible and not give them time to prepare. The main thing is to seize the anthills and the nearest goblinum. After that, it won’t matter anymore who finds out what about me.
The subjugated Wardens hurried after him. Only Appo had a candle, and the first centipedes had already begun crawling out of the cracks.