CHAPTER 22. THE DECISIVE BATTLE. Episode One: Not Long Before

Warden Ogl was giving his final orders as he waited for the attack that would soon come. A few days earlier, he had sent four goblins to scout out how far off the Hermit army was. They had recently returned and reported that the enemy was already close, and the attack might begin tomorrow or the day after.
The Warden had been waiting for exactly this moment, and at once sent about ten goblins out to meet the Hermits. They carried long, freshly cut branches with very bushy tips. The goblins were to climb to the tops of the tallest trees, spacing themselves far apart from one another, and each raise his own branch as the enemy drew near. So that this signal wouldn’t be missed, a special lookout had been sent out to the meadow, who would now spend the whole day watching the forest closely.
“Cover all the branches and logs in the meadow with dry hay,” the Warden ordered a goblin who had come up to him.
“Yes, Warden,” the goblin answered, and ran off.
Next Mor came up to him.
“Well, are you ready?” the Warden asked him.
“Yes. We can set out. The kegs are in the packs, and you already gave us the Ant Power earlier.”
“Very good. It’s a pity I can only give each of you a single pouch. I hope they’ll help, and that what you have in mind will work out. For our part, we’ll do everything we can to hold the Hermits back. And remember, Mor: the manuscripts say that Ant Power appears in the anthills in spring and autumn. There isn’t much time left before autumn. If the Hermits seize the anthills, they’ll soon be able to gather even more Ant Power. Then nothing will stop them from becoming masters of the Goblin Forest. So you must bring back that damned casket. Now, on your way.”
Mor nodded and left.
Watching him go with a heavy look, Warden Ogl hurried off to the Wood-master. Once he’d made sure the work was done, he went on to the edge of the goblinum, to the Bee-master.
There several dozen goblins were waiting for him, with large packs they kept eyeing warily. The packs were filled with small skauti kegs, from which a buzzing sound came every so often.
Warden Ogl explained once more what the goblins were to do, and reminded them that a great deal would depend on their resolve over the next two days. Frightened as the goblins were of the buzzing packs, they slung them over their shoulders anyway and set off toward the forest. Reaching the edge of the trees, they studied the surrounding forest for a long while, and then vanished among the trees one by one.
Meanwhile, Mor, Vuk, and Nuk had already left the goblinum, entered the forest, and headed south.
“Are you sure the kegs won’t come open? Because if they do, we won’t just fail to reach the Hermits — we won’t be able to move at all afterward. They’ll bite us from head to toe,” Vuk said, trying to walk as carefully as he could so as not to jostle his pack any more than necessary.
“Don’t worry. We’ve got a very good Wood-master. He knows his craft. I once carried a keg of skauti like that out to the meadow, and the lid never came open. These kegs are a bit thinner, sure, but I think everything will be fine,” Mor said, reassuring him.
“Listen, Mor, if we end up walking a long time, won’t the bees die? It’s dark in there, and there’s probably nothing to breathe.”
“No one’s going to die. There are little holes made in the kegs. You saw them yourself, Vuk.”
“I didn’t see anything. I tried not to even look at the kegs at all. And it looks like I was right to. If there are holes in there, the bees might have seen me and remembered who’s tormenting them right now. And then get their revenge.”
“No one’s tormenting them, Vuk. Don’t you know they live in dark kegs just like these, only bigger? And the Bee-master said nothing will happen to them in two or three days,” Mor explained calmly again.
“That’s enough panicking, Vuk. This isn’t the time for it. You’ve probably forgotten that a whole army of Hermits with Ant Power is coming for us. The bees in these kegs might be our only chance. And it’s a good thing Mor came up with this idea,” Nuk said, deliberately adjusting his pack to show he wasn’t afraid.
But the moment the jostling set off a buzzing inside, he immediately began glancing back over his shoulder, alarmed.
Vuk didn’t pester them with any more questions after that, and went on stepping very carefully so as not to disturb the bees any further.
The goblins turned east and were now moving to meet their enemies. But they had no intention of running into them head-on. That was exactly why they’d headed south first, so as to approach the Hermits from the side.
The talking stopped. Each of them understood that any sound could give them away. Nearly a whole day passed this way, and Mor had already begun to think they’d gone too far south and missed the Hermit army entirely. But before long, a noise reached them.
The goblins immediately dropped to the ground and began peering into the forest. The noise grew louder and louder, and after a while, riding rams with armed riders came into view from among the trees.
“So many…” Vuk whispered, whether to himself or to the others.
“Will you be quiet. That’s all we’d need, getting caught before we’re even close to them,” Nuk grumbled, and tugged his brother’s arm.
“We’re far from them. No one will hear us,” Vuk answered, but even so, he didn’t say another word.
“Let’s just focus on looking,” Mor said, trying to make out almost every single goblin.
The Hermits rode on and on, but the one that six goblin eyes were straining to find was not among them yet. Almost the entire army had already passed by. At the very end, some distance back, two more groups of goblins were moving along.
“There he is, look! Riding in the middle, and that nasty old man right beside him,” Nuk said, holding himself back with all his might from shouting.
“Yes, you’re right. That’s Warden Appo,” Mor whispered, having finally spotted the one they’d been looking for.
“And there’s Lukdun, too. Even from here he looks so big and fearsome that even the bees will probably be scared of him. No amount of Ant Power will be enough for him,” Vuk said, recognizing at once the big goblin who had led them down into the cellar.
The goblins went on watching. Now they could see clearly that, besides the Counselor and Lukdun, four other goblins were accompanying Warden Appo. And behind them rode four more armed warriors.
He’s surrounded himself with guards on every side. There are too few of us to get close to him, Mor thought with frustration.
Night fell. The enemy force drew ever closer to the valley where the anthills and the Bignose goblinum lay. Mor and the brothers followed after it tirelessly.
At first, the Cold Sun, together with the stars, lit the night forest well enough, making the way easier for both the Hermits and the Bignoses. But then clouds covered the sky. Though they weren’t especially thick, the light still couldn’t break through the dense foliage.
The Hermits weren’t used to moving through near-total darkness. In their own lands, the forest wasn’t as dense, since many pines grew there alongside the deciduous trees. Pines let even faint night light through better.
The three Bignoses were having a hard time of it too. But right now the darkness was helping them more than hindering them. Thanks to it, they’d managed to get close enough to make out individual voices.
Since Warden Appo was riding near the very rear of the army, his words carried especially well through the hushed forest.
“Lukdun, tell them all to stop. That’s the last thing we need, blundering into a bog in this dark like that fool Uruk. We’ll go on at dawn. First send a few goblins ahead. The valley should already be quite close. As soon as they come back and confirm it, we strike at once. You know what to do after that.”
Silence fell, and in it the Bignoses heard the muffled sound of hooves growing fainter in the distance. It looked like Lukdun had gone off to carry out the Warden’s order.
“Well, what do you say, Torul? Why is it that every time the Hermits ride through this forest at night, such darkness comes down on it? This is the second time now. The first was when Uruk and Brakha passed through here. And you know how that ended for one of them. Could it be some kind of ill omen?”
“Forgive me, Warden, but you’re forgetting that even before that, three of our own goblins came back through this forest with Ant Power. And they made it home safely. So I see nothing unusual in this darkness. I imagine it happens often enough here. The forest is thick, deciduous — that’s explanation enough.”
“Yes, you’re right. It’s nothing like ours. But why did the clouds come just now? As if someone were trying to stop us from taking the last step.”
“Come now, Warden. There’s no power that can change what’s already been ordained. No one can stop a victor a single step from victory. Dawn will come soon, and after that everything will be over quickly. You’ll see.”
“I hope you’re right. For now, we should rest. Tomorrow is a great day, and we must be ready for it.”
After these words came a stir of movement, but before long everything around grew quiet again.
There was no more talking, and Mor and the brothers decided to withdraw farther back, so that the first morning light wouldn’t chance to give them away.
None of them meant to sleep, of course. That would have been far too dangerous right now. At any moment, Vuk’s famously thunderous snoring might burst from his throat and carry instantly through the whole forest.
So the goblins carefully took off their packs, lay down on the ground, and simply looked up, toward where the sky was supposed to be beyond the branches.
As soon as the night’s darkness began to lift, a noise reached them from the direction of the Hermits.
“As you can see, the clouds are gradually clearing, and soon the forest will be easy to see through. So we move very carefully. And if we’re spotted, we drink the Ant Power at once and run,” Mor warned.
Still, the brothers had already been as careful as could be, regardless. In their packs lay a burden they feared no less than the armed Hermits.
Only a little time passed before the dull, steady noise of many hooves grew louder and sharper.
At first Mor thought the whole army had charged forward. But then he saw the warriors riding in the front ranks, and the rest behind them, turning around and quickly heading back.
“There it is — the power of our own land! We haven’t even raised our swords yet, and the Hermits are already retreating! They must have realized they can’t beat us,” Vuk said, filled with excitement.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Vuk. They didn’t ride here for days just to turn around now and leave,” Nuk answered, watching closely what was happening.
The Hermits truly weren’t retreating. They were riding up to Warden Appo one at a time, lingering briefly beside him, and then heading back to the front again.
Mor and the brothers even had to take the risk of creeping closer still, to understand what was going on. Thick brush helped them, and they hid behind it, peering out carefully.
“Of course. Why didn’t I think of it right away. Before the battle, Warden Appo is handing out Ant Power to his warriors,” Mor whispered.
“So it’s about to start?” Nuk asked, though he already knew the answer perfectly well himself.
“Yes. And we’ll keep watching Warden Appo. I hope the right moment comes our way.”
A little later, about half the Hermit army, with Lukdun at its head, moved forward. The rest of the warriors stayed near the Warden, with no intention of going anywhere.
Mor hadn’t expected this. He’d been certain the whole army would ride off to battle, and that they’d be able to handle the few who stayed behind with Appo. But now his plan was starting to come apart…
In the Bignose goblinum, they already knew the enemy was approaching, since the lookout had spotted the branches rising one after another.
It never occurred to the Hermits riding past to look up. And they probably wouldn’t have been able to make anyone out even if they had. The Bignoses had deliberately chosen the tallest trees with the thickest leaves. Their task done, the lookouts waited patiently for the moment they could climb down unseen and return to the goblinum.
Meanwhile, Warden Ogl was finishing handing out the Ant Power.
Of the thirty pouches that had been found, twenty-seven remained with him. For several days he had watched how his own goblins, and the allies who had come to help, handled a sword, and he had chosen twenty-five of what seemed to him the best warriors. Two more pouches the Warden kept for himself and for the Warden of the neighboring goblinum, who had arrived with his own goblins and was ready to fight as well.
Nearby stood Azuel, watching with interest the pouches in Ogl’s hands — the very same kind whose contents had once changed his life forever.
But he felt no regret now. After all, in the past thousand years, he alone had experienced the astonishing power hidden inside a small light-brown pouch. And now Azuel was ready to share what he knew, so that the goblins who received Ant Power could make the best possible use of it.
He himself would gladly have taken one of the pouches from the Warden’s hands. But he feared that even Ant Power could no longer make his old, frail body strong. Azuel had no wish to take the risk and waste this priceless nectar, of which there was already far too little.
“Now hear me,” Warden Ogl said, addressing everyone gathered in the square. “An unequal battle awaits us ahead. Not because the Bignoses are weak, but because our enemy has stolen Ant Power and is about to use it against us.
After a thousand years of peaceful life, dark times may be coming back to us once more. Ant Power has become a poison again, one that has poisoned the hearts and minds of the forest goblins. Now this same sickness has infected the Hermits, who wish to conquer us.
Sadly, the power that once saved the goblins from destruction has turned into a curse.
We cannot allow the anthills to fall into the hands of the Hermits. Otherwise they will gain a boundless power that no clan will be able to stand against.
A serious trial awaits us soon. And I will say honestly — we cannot win this in open battle. But we must do everything we can to hold back the Hermit army. Meanwhile, our three brave Bignoses will try to strip the enemy of Ant Power. And then we will be able to fight back properly.
So let us help them! Onward, Bignose brothers!”
The whole square erupted in a single, unified shout:
“We’ll help them!”