the onyx crown - chapter 1 : an offer

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chapter 1 : an offer Max Dunn knew as well as anyone else in the town of Kenbel that Theodora Palteen was insane. She always spoke of spirits that talked to her when she was alone and said the gods gifted her “The Sight” a power to receive prophecies and deliver the gods messages to mortals. She claimed pixies and gnomes visited her garden weekly and she’d chat with them. She claimed many things. Many things that could’ve been true a thousand years ago. But that was a thousand years ago. Merely a thing of the past. Everyone knew enchanted creatures had left and the gods stopped sending messages and seeing mortals, leaving everyone to wonder what had happened to them. And if they did show up to the town of Kenbel they would certainly seek someone more powerful and more sane than Theodora. Things got worse after the winter solstice. She began running around town, begging people to join her to appease the gods. Saying she needed their help. She’d sob at their feet, fear in her crazed eyes, pleading that they’d help. People always rolled their eyes and attempted to ignore her, attempted to continue going about their day, which wasn’t easy with Theodora following them. Theodora tended to ignore Max, she had never liked him, ever since he was five. Max had stumbled into her garden and decided to pick a flower for his mother. It was a pretty blue one that stood out from the others. And it was perfect. It looked just like his mothers eyes. After he had plucked the flower he had heard screaming. Theodora dashed over to him and ripped the flower from his hands, scolding him for even looking at her flowers. Saying the gods would gift him forever bad luck for that small mistake. He was never gifted nor cursed bad luck. Instead his life stayed the same. Until three days after his sixteenth birthday. Max walked through the market, looking for milk. His mother needed some for her bakery, and him—being an amazingly responsible son—had offered to get it for her so she could continue running the shop instead of having to close in the middle of the day. As he made his way up to the dairy farmers stand, he felt a cold hand grab his wrist. He yelped and looked at who had grabbed him. It was Theodora. Her blonde hair was a tangled mess and her gray eyes were wide. “You’re my last resort.” she growled. Max pulled away. “No thank you. I am not helping.” “Let me talk to you and you’ll comply. Trust me. Please.” she said, sounding on the verge of tears. Now, Max did not want to be seen having a conversation with Theodora, but he could tell the woman couldn’t handle another mental breakdown because someone said they wouldn’t go with her. He sighed. “Fine, I suppose you can talk some reason into me.” “Oh thank the gods. You are truly a life saver.” she said, dragging him away from the market to a secluded corner near some grazing cows. “What’s your reasoning?” asked Max. “I’ve always known you're special. No matter how much I tried to ignore it… If you come with me you’ll see your full potential.” That sounded intriguing. Learning his full potential had always been a dream of Max’s. However he had a feeling Theodora was lying. “How can I trust you?” “I have no proof. I have no seemingly logical reasoning. So you’ll have to trust me. And if things don’t work out, you can request my beheading.” That did sound intriguing. Max had always wanted to be the reason behind a beheading. He drew in a deep breath. “Fine,” he said, “I suppose I’ll join your silly little quest.” Theodora’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know convincing you would be that easy.” she whispered. “Looks like you've been proved wrong.” said Max with a smirk. “Meet me at the library during the witching hour. You’ll meet the rest of the team then, and we’ll leave. Understand?.” He nodded. “Yes, I understand,” he said. “Good. See you later.” ••• Max had gotten the milk for his mother and ignored the questions of people wondering why he had spoken with Theodora as he walked home. When he arrived at the bakery his mother waited outside for him. “Took you long enough.” she said, taking the jug from him. Max shrugged. “I got sidetracked.” he said. “Mhm, sure you did. See any pretty ladies while you were out?” “Same answer as always. No.” “You really do need to find yourself a lass. An unwed woman is one thing, but an unwed man who’s as good-looking as yourself, well that’s a disappointment to the family.” she said. “I’ll find the right person for me someday.” “You better,” said his mother.(+)