Chapter 14

The ceremony ended on the third day precisely at noon. The four groups of elders bid their final farewells and started their trek back to their respective towns. Buck's group slowly climbed the narrow path to the plateau and then past all the lifepods. They crossed the wide expanse to the other side where they decided to settle down for the night. After dinner most of the elders returned to their tents early, exhausted from the three days of 'ceremony' and to fight the brisk wind that had picked up throughout the day. With no one at the fire to interact with, Buck and Ardala also retired to their tent. Ardala lay down on the bedroll, but Buck merely sat down at the entrance to the tent and folded his arms.

"What's wrong, Darling?"

He sighed, glanced up at Ardala with just the tops of his eyes. "I need to get back to that Eye," he said in a low hush.

"Do you have a plan on how to destroy it yet? Or at least neutralize it?"
He shook his head. "Not a clue. But to be honest I haven't had much of a chance to look at it or even think about it without someone giving me the hairy eye ball. There's gotta be something I can do."

"What do you think the elders will do if you destroy it?"
He grinned weakly. "They won't be happy, I can tell you that much. If I get caught, it's 'the immediate death sentence!'" he said in a voice trying to imitate Brev Nell. "That's why we need to stage an accident."

Her head perked up slightly. "What kind of accident? An accident for the Eye?"

"Not the Eye; me."

"Pardon?"

"I need to die. That's the only way I'll be able to get a good look at it without someone watching me."

"We can just disappear and-"

"No; you have to stay here with them."

"What!?" She quickly scrambled to her knees and crossed the tent. "But why? Why can't I stay with you?"
He smirked. "Because you're their Goddess!"

"Pfffft."

He sighed and his face turned serious. "I need you to stay with them so you can corroborate my disappearance and death. It's the only way I can get close to that thing without anyone knowing I'm trying to destroy it."

"And what if you don't destroy it? I'll be stuck here in this back-world without you!"

"If I can't find a way to at least neutralize it, we'll both be stuck here in this back-world."
"But you'll be dead."

"And you'll be their Goddess."

"How long do you think I'll be able to pull that off?" she asked in all seriousness.

He reached for her hand and gently squeezed. "If I can't find a way to turn it off, I'll come get you and we can go somewhere quiet, just the two of us."

"Somewhere they'll never find us?"

"It's a big world. We'll find somewhere."
"And if you do destroy it?"

"Then I'll come get you quietly and we leave this planet and go back to our own universe… if we can."

"What if the time we've spent here is real?"

"I thought the time here was real."

She sighed. "That's not what I meant. What if we get back and I have missed the coronation and my sister has been named Empress?"

"Well, you're just full of 'what if's', aren't you?" he teased with just a hint of a grin. Then he shrugged one shoulder and closed his eyes for a long extended blink. "If Anderia is Empress, then we have to come up with a way to keep her in line." He smirked. "I'm sure you can think of a few things."

Ardala nodded. "There's definitely a few things I'd like to do with her!"

"Or to her?"
She smiled and nodded again.

"So then we just have to think of how to kill me."
Ardala slinked forward to rest her head on Buck's shoulder and look up longingly into his eyes. "I could kill you with my love!" she offered with a whisper.

Buck rolled his eyes and smirked. "Right. And I suppose now you want to sleep on it?"

Her smile grew to absorb her whole face. "Now that's not a bad idea yet! You've already got me on the edge of desire!"

Buck's eyes suddenly brightened. "Hmm; on the edge! I think I know how you can kill me."

She lifted her head to brush her lips lightly against his. "You can tell me later," she breathed. "Right now your Goddess requires… attention."

Buck sighed and smirked slightly. "The things I do for Queen and country," he muttered.

When day broke, Ardala ran out of her tent and rushed to the elders who were already beginning to break down their tents. "Have you seen Buck?" she asked excitedly.

"Buck?"

"Captain Rogers!"
Brev Nell looked up with a strange look on his face. "He isn't with you?"
"If he were with me I wouldn't be asking you if you've seen him!" Ardala exclaimed indignantly.

"No, I haven't seen him."

"Where could he have gone?"

Brev Nell shrugged. "He has to be around here somewhere. There's nowhere he can hide from all our eyes here on this plateau."

Suddenly Ardala's eyes widened as she gasped. "No!" she whispered. She grabbed Brev Nell's shoulder. "Check the horses!"

"Why?"

"The Eye!" she said softly.

Brev Nell narrowed his eyes. "You don't think he would have gone back to the Eye, do you?"

"We had an argument last night about the Eye! Check the horses! See if his is still here!"

Brev Nell rushed to the edge of camp where the horses were tied up to a portable hitching post. After a quick inspection, he turned back to face the Goddess.

"His horse is gone!"

"We must find him!" she nearly screamed. "Quickly!"

"Do you know how to ride?"

Ardala gave him a disgusted, blank stare. "I am a Goddess! I do not ride horses!"

He bowed low. "My apologies, my Goddess. I'll prepare the carriage at once."

While the rest of the party stayed in camp to break it down, Brev Nell secured the carriage and quickly rode back to the edge of the cliff while Ardala rode in relative comfort. An hour of hard riding brought them to the rows of lifepods and then the cliff overlooking the Eye. He immediately stopped the horse, leaped to the ground and rushed to open the door to the carriage and help Ardala to the rocky ground. Together they started for the steep, narrow, windy path leading down to the valley below. About a quarter of the way down the hill they noticed Buck's horse… simply standing on the valley floor… looking around. Ardala broke into a run, followed by Brev Nell. Despite the lead the princess had, he reached the bend in the path first where they could see the entire length of the valley below. Finally Ardala caught up, albeit completely out of breath.

"Where's Buck?" she asked hesitantly.

Brev Nell pointed over the edge of the cliff. Lying at the bottom of the deep ravine was Buck, easily visible in his not so white dress uniform. Ardala tiptoed to the edge to see his mangled body lying among the rocks.

"Buck!" she cried loudly. "Buck!" Brev Nell gently pulled her away from the edge of the cliff just before she could drop to her knees. "Buck," she sobbed quietly.

"He must have missed this turn in the dark."

Ardala simply buried her face into her hands and sobbed.

Brev Nell allowed her to mourn for several minutes before noisily clearing his throat. "I am sorry, my Goddess. If you want I can go back to camp and bring some men to retrieve his body."

"Buck," she sobbed. "No; he can't be dead!"

"I'm sorry, M'Lady. No one could have survived that fall. Do you want me to go down and verify it for you?"

Sadly she shook her head as she regally stood up. "No; you are correct. No one could have survived that fall; not even Buck Rogers." She looked up to the gray sky and sighed. "First Draconia and now Buck." She closed her eyes and sighed again. Finally she shook her head and turned to face Brev Nell. "Let's go."

"Do you want me to send some men to retrieve his body?"
"No. I don't want to risk any more lives. There's nothing more we can do for Captain Rogers. I know you all want to get home. At this point I just want to get off this cold mountain." She sighed once more. "Let's go."

"What about the horse?"

She humphed and turned her back. "Leave it."

"But that's my horse."

"I'll buy you a new one when we get back," she snapped. "Let's go."

He sighed once but didn't dare argue with the Goddess. Silently they climbed back up the path to the awaiting carriage. Once more he opened the door and helped her inside before resuming his position of driver. When she was safely within the warmer confines of the carriage, Ardala allowed a slight grin to crease her face as she glanced out the window.

"Good luck, Buck, Darling. I'll see you back in town."