The Forgotten Mage's Diary

Part Eighteen: Hunting Down an Assassin

Suddenly a scream resounded through the field. Elena turned her head around and was forced to push her earlier thoughts away.  Monica ran out to the group and tackled Cole, "They came again! They tried to take the king!" King Aaron looked at her skeptically then when she noticed she added, "Former king." Everyone gasped. "It's okay, this time the guards were prepared and had doctors close by. The bullet went straight through his shoulder so he should be fine." Cole then managed to get Monica off of him. "That's  a relief, I'm glad Father's okay," King Aaron sighed,"But who's doing this?" Elena hadn't thought about it earlier but they did have to eventually track down the murderer. 

"It has to be someone who has a grudge against the royal family, everyone else in Areagore was ecstatic about getting a new king." Cole stated. King Aaron nodded, "They wanted to get me but Bernard blocked them, then they went for my father so they obviously aren't after a specific member of my family. The assassin also likes a challenge, they aren't afraid of big crowds and they ignored me even though I'm a sitting duck out here. I'm a perfect target but the killer decided to break into the house and go for my father..." Elena listened intently for any clues but found herself still confused. "Who would go through all of this trouble? It doesn't make any sense....the killer must have lived nearby right? People who lived far away weren't alerted of your Coronation until after the event." Elena declared. "That's right! We can narrow down our search to only citizens in neighboring towns and cities. Your Majesty, are we going to track down the murderer?" Cole questioned. The king thought about it, "I was thinking that Elena could join Areagore's military so this would be a good trial...but since she intends to leave I suppose I shouldn't get attached to her." Cole nodded, "That's a very hard spell and I personally don't think Elena is capable of leaving Areagore yet." he affirmed. "Oh that's nice to hear, so Elena do you want to join our military and hunt down your father's killer?" King Aaron asked. Monica looked back at Elena, "Hey chump, you should probably do it...not like I care or anything! I just...both of your parents did it and you said you wanted to be tougher." Elena sighed, "I'll...think about it. Thank you your highness but I don't know my answer yet." She quickly excused herself and jogged in the direction of their cottage. "Elena? Elena!ELENA!" Cole's voice boomed. She ran, she wasn't sure why but she ran away-just like always.

"Come on, don't make me chase you. You know that I'm faster than you!" Cole had followed her. "Don't chase me leave me alone! I just need some time by myself..." Elena stopped and turned to face Cole. "Let me run...I want to leave...I want to leave Areagore."she sighed. Cole smiled, "But I'm your friend! Friends support each other, so I have to be there for you. All of your friends are here...in Areagore." "Cole...I don't have friends. Let me run away. I'm cowardly and this is just how I am. I..you're not my friend okay? I want you to go out into town and I want you to meet someone else, I'm not a good friend. I don't have friends." Cole only looked at her sympathetically, "Drums aren't people."

She hesitated but then ran home, leaving a disappointed dragon behind. She came to the cottage and sat on her porch to watch the stars. She was lonely and felt terrible, her parents had done so much but she was just a disappointment. She walked inside and headed for the basement. Elena grabbed 'The Forgotten Mage's Diary' and flipped to the page she was looking for. "It's for the best...they'll find Dad's killer in no time without me holding them back." she muttered. Elena read the page:

Portals to Other Worlds and How to Create Them