Page 54 of Chaos and Crowns

A concerned look pinched Antony’s features as Odelle blinked back into the present and realized he had been talking.

“Sorry, just thinking about my job—or lack thereof.”

Antony reached out and brushed his fingers down her forearm, his expression forlorn. “I wish there were something I could do, but I don’t have much to offer when it comes to the modern world. I don’t think there are many job openings for magical blacksmiths either, if that makes you feel any better.”

Antony’s attempt at levity warmed Odelle’s chest, even as her mind kept returning to what she might do to salvage her career.

“Well, when I’m looking for job openings, I’ll let you know if I see any for a toaster repairman. You seem to have a knack for that,” Odelle commented. “But really, I should see if there is any damage control I can do. Feeling like I’m trying to fix the problem is the only thing that will make me feel better.”

Antony nodded solemnly. “I should discuss an alternative strategy for tracking the Shadow’s movements with the others anyways. Figure out how to find the crown.”

Odelle winced internally at the lemon Antony’s words squeezed in her wounds. Her unemployment was affecting more than just her own life.

21

Odelle had never needed a boozy brunch more in her life. As soon as she got home and opened her laptop yesterday, she fell into an internet blackhole. Every local news channel and some national networks were talking about the incident with the Sears Tower antenna. Some reports claimed sabotage while others clung to the tale of inclement weather. All the reports had one element in common: they included Odelle’s name in conjunction with an unauthorized broadcast to all frequencies. There was no chance of applying for a job at any news station across the country without them knowing what she had done with a quick internet search. At least none of the reports seemed to realize that the signal had been sent from the roof of the Sears Tower, and instead suggested that Channel three temporarily controlled all broadcasts for a moment as the signal was coming back up. It sounded like a bit of a stretch, but probably less so than an immortal sorcerer partnering with a reporter to break onto the roof of a skyscraper.

After several hours of reading comments on the various articles, Odelle barely controlled the urge to throw her laptop across the room. Yes, she had made an unscheduled broadcast, but nothing about the situation was planned—not with an entire city plunging into chaos. She had just been thinking on her feet. Now she was publicly criticized for it, even by Amy Biderman on channel nine.

When Adam texted her on Antony’s behalf asking to meet for brunch, she jumped at the opportunity to take a break from scrolling through job openings. She had hoped taking action to improve her future would improve her mood, but looking at a future as a data entry clerk or an administrative assistant only reinforced how bleak her prospects were. So she headed to Millenium park to meet Antony and tried to focus on fizzy mimosas and flaky pastry.

If Odelle had thought people were staring when Antony met her at the park in a peplos, it paled in comparison to the crowd gathered around him now. As she edged through the throng of people to catch sight of Antony, her brain shorted out. He looked ordinary enough in a sweater and jeans—as ordinary as somebody with the bone structure of an angel can look. What drew so much attention was the brilliant peacock parading back and forth at the end of a silvery leash.

As Odelle approached, both Antony and the magnificent fowl caught sight of her. Antony opened his mouth with a smile as if to greet her, but the bird beat him to the punch. Pags shook himself, glorious plumage unfurling behind him. The movement made his tailfeathers shimmer, reflecting a dazzling rainbow of colors. The gathered crowd collectively gasped in wonder and phones leaped into hands to record the animal strutting across the sidewalk.

“Somebody has an admirer,” Antony commented as she slid up next to him, using an arm around her waist to pull her close and plant a kiss on her temple.

“I’m assuming you mean the bird,” Odelle commented drily, although she didn’t pull away, enjoying the casual show of affection. “What exactly is Pags doing here?”

Antony smiled proudly, as if this stunt were part of a brilliant plan. “I’ve seen people walking their dogs through the park every time I’ve visited. It made me think of how bored Pags must be walking around the same courtyards all the time. And I had Adam check the internet: the café we went to before is pet friendly.”

“Lapachka, when they say pets, I’m pretty sure they mean dogs.” Odelle patted Antony’s chest affectionately. “Come to think of it, I’m not even sure having a pet peacock is legal.”

Antony looked crestfallen. “Why? Are dogs really the only animals people have as pets anymore?”

“Cats too,” Odelle admitted. “I myself am a cat person, but they don’t walk on leashes very well.”

“I guess Pags can go back to the Sanctuary then,” Antony conceded ruefully, watching the peacock basking in the attention of the small crowd. “I just really thought he’d enjoy the change in scenery.”

Odelle’s heart sank at Antony’s disappointment, and something about how much he cared for his pet made her belly tingle. She had absconded with a horse with Antony, so it was hardly more scandalous to walk a peacock down Michigan Avenue.

“How about we take him for a short walk, and then bring him back to the Sanctuary before brunch?” Odelle suggested, taking Antony by the elbow to lead him away from Pags’s new fan club. She opted to steer them deeper into the park, away from the busiest streets of shoppers or policemen who would stop them if keeping a peacock as a pet was illegal.

“Look how happy Pags looks!” Antony exclaimed as the bird picked its way along in front of them. Odelle didn’t know how to tell if he was pleased or not but decided to defer to Antony’s judgement on this one.

“He’s never even been outside the pocket dimension of the Sanctuary before,” Antony admitted.

“He was born there?”

Antony nodded. “He’s the descendant of the peacock I had before the Defeat. His family has lived at the Sanctuary for generations, but Pags is getting older. I’ll have to find him a mate—or have Adam find him one—if I want to continue his line.”

“Why do I have a feeling that Adam has been absconding with peacocks to bring to the Sanctuary to breed into the family line every few decades?”

“Because you know us,” Antony claimed proudly, “and the peacocks we…reappropriate live long happy lives being spoiled out of their tiny bird minds, so I like to think it’s justified.”

By now, they had made it to the lakefront and Odelle turned them North towards Navy Pier. Besides the scandalized stares of passing joggers, the whole situation struck Odelle as remarkably domestic. While she had never been one to picture getting a big dog and going for long walks with her sweetheart, walking arm in arm with Antony down the lakefront stirred something in her. Perhaps it was because the golden retriever in the idyllic image had been replaced by a strutting peacock, adding just enough je ne sais quoi to satisfy her craving for flair.

Pags immediately trampled the moment by releasing an earsplitting squawk and leaping forward, yanking the leash from Antony’s hand. A cacophony of squawking and hissing filled the air as the peacock dashed down the trail in hot pursuit of a Canadian goose. Antony chased after the bird, grabbing at the leash fluttering in his wake to no avail, as Odelle trailed behind. Pags quickly widened the distance between them in an odd cross between running and gliding, not really taking flight although his feet only periodically touched the ground. The goose, while clearly capable of flying away, seemed to relish taunting Pags, fluttering just out of reach and hissing madly.