Copyrighted 1999
Chapter Three
My two soldiers soon arrived back with the fifty bombchu. Putting it together with what I already had, we had one hundred.
There were only thirty six of us, including me and Ganondorf. We had more than enough bombchu to cross the river and make it back.
I saw no need in which to test my theory, but to give everyone the benefit of doubt, I allowed several of my soldiers to try out my plan.
My plan was simple: Set bombchu on ground. Stand on bombchu. Press tab on the side to activate. Ride the bombchu across the river. Jump off just before it explodes on the other side.
Simple. Yet no one trusted it.
“Look, it’s easy,” I said, rolling my eyes. I explained again and waited. The soldiers looked nervously at each other, none too eager to try my plan. Rolling my eyes again, I shoved them out of the way. “Look, I’ll show you,” I said, my voice full of contempt. “Watch and learn.”
I shot a glance at Ganondorf, but as always, his face showed no expression. In fact, the only expression I ever remembered him showing was satisfaction and laughter. At others’ pain.
Without hesitation, I leapt gracefully onto the bombchu. I reached down and pressed the button on the side. That mechanism was later taken off for some reason, but for now, it was there, and extremely useful. The bombchu gave a puff of smoke and roared, and it was off. I kept down low, straining to keep my balance. If I fell into the ROS, I would die. And even if someone did manage to pull me to safety, my reputation would be shattered.
My entire future was resting on this.
No pressure, no pressure.
I was soon halfway across the river, but I still did not start celebrating yet. I don’t leave things to chance. Never get cocky. You can be sure something will go wrong.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, I was across the river. I was about to jump onto the solid ground--well, sand--when I felt a rumble below me. Something was wrong. The bombchu was defective; it was exploding too soon!
I heard a cracking noise below me, and a huge heat wave rolled across my face. The bombchu exploded. With a strangled cry I flew through the air, to land in a mound of sand many feet away. Feebly, I touched my forehead. It was covered in blood. Groaning, I forfeited the battle with sleep, and was left with only one thought as I lost consciousness. So . . . I blew it after all.
I awoke bathed in sweat. There was a Gerudo healer standing over me, dabbing my forehead. There was a poultice wrapped around my left arm, and another on my right ankle. I could feel slight burn marks and bandages on my face.
But I was alive.
I sat up immediately, but the healer shook her head. “No, Miss Nabooru. You must rest now.” She pushed me back down onto the make-shift bed.
I ignored her. Sitting up, I noticed that I was in a tent. It was night. How long had I been asleep?
I sat up further quickly and began firing questions. Now the healer was ignoring me; she pushed me back down and began to scold me. This only made me madder. I began yammering and shouting. I was screaming my head off, just trying to get some straight answers, why wouldn’t anyone listen to me, why were they doing this, I was fine, why why why . . .
They tied my thrashing body to my make-shift bed by wrapping gauze around my wrists and ankles, and then stuffed some in my mouth. This infuriated me even more. Giving an enormous yowl, I glared hideously at my captors.
Then, the doorway of the large tent was moved to reveal the night sky, and a shadow. The shadow of a man. Ganondorf.
He ordered everyone to leave, then untied my wrists and ankles. I managed to spit out the gauze.
“Eww,” I muttered distastefully. Then I glared at Ganondorf. “What were those psychos doing? Tying me down like that. Wouldn’t answer questions from a commanding officer. I’ll have them thrown in prison for that. Or worse.”
He stared back at me cooly, his intense stare matching mine. “They are only healers. They know nothing. You have incredible powers of recovery, but they do not realize it. Still, I will have them executed immediately. On your wishes, of course.” He said it as if he believed it. But there, in his eye . . . the lust of bloodshed.
I shook my head. “No, we cannot afford to lose soldiers, no matter how incompetent. Tying me down like someone in a psychiatric hospital, though . . . “
He shrugged. “I will kill them.”
“No. No.” I paused. “That bomchu . . . what happened?”
“The bombchu was defective. It almost killed you. We found the carpet merchant and accused him. We threatened him. He, ah, agreed to ferry us across the river. I killed him anyway. We are now across the river and your soldiers are awaiting further orders.”
“And no one was hurt in the explosion? Besides me, of course?” I said, purposely letting the part about him killing the carpet merchant go in one ear and out the other.
“Two were hit by flying flames; they were killed. Two others, also, have been killed, as examples to the rest.”
Man, killing was obviously this guy’s hobby. Not exactly a good thing.
Killing. Ruthless, cold-blooded murder. That was Ganondorf.