Page 58 of Chaos and Crowns

The back entrance dropped them at the fringes of the ball, in an exhibit of the planetarium only occupied by a few couples who milled about the displays and chatted idly. Odelle and Antony wandered among them, trying to appear interested in the exhibit as they meandered towards the more populated areas.

Antony pulled Odelle to a stop for a moment, neck craned back to look at a telescope twice as long as Odelle was tall.

“Incredible,” he murmured so quietly that Odelle barely caught his words. “They mapped the entire solar system with these? The entire galaxy?”

Odelle felt a twinge when she remembered Antony once asking her about the International Space Station in fascination. She was far from an astronomy expert, but she vowed to herself that she would bring Antony back to the Planetarium when he had time to read every plaque to his heart’s content.

“Actually, most of what we learn now comes from telescopes that we launch into outer space.” Odelle leaned in to tell Antony as she gently tugged him away from the display.

As they drifted into a larger exhibit, Odelle scanned the dazzling guests for her friends—or Amy Biderman. Under the impressively large model solar system dangling from the ceiling, guests sipped champagne and nibbled crudité while chuckling at the jokes of their equally rich and distinguished friends. Even though the crowd was sparse as guests were just beginning to arrive, the group was dazzling. It reminded Odelle of when she had first seen the crown. This time, she was glad to have the Eteria at her back and Antony a warm and reassuring presence at her side.

Seraphina caught Odelle’s gaze, her posture in the cerulean peacock feather gown making her seem like a queen holding court where she stood with Drew under Saturn’s rings. Antony may have made the dress for Odelle, but it was meant for Seraphina.

Drew looked up from the elderly gentleman he was speaking to, nudging Seraphina with his elbow as he made eye contact with Odelle. Excusing himself from the conversation, he led the way towards where Antony and Odelle currently hovered underneath Neptune.

“Nice to see you made it,” Drew commented as they came closer.

“Thad managed his part perfectly,” Antony agreed. “Although I think he was put out that he didn’t get to spend his time flirting with you, Drew.”

Drew reddened and choked on seemingly nothing, coughing until Odelle pounded him on the back.

“Probably a good thing,” Odelle commented drily. “You’d get too distracted to do your job and then where would we be?”

Once Drew had recovered, Antony asked, “Are Adam and Nora here yet?”

“We just talked to them a few minutes ago.” Seraphina nodded. “They’ve already stationed themselves near the spot we discussed. Now that we know you’re here, too, we can head to the entrance to watch for the arrival of our…guest of honor.”

“I guess that means we should get into position too,” Odelle said, beginning to feel Antony’s nerves from earlier. Up until this point, it was easy to pretend they were just crashing a party. Now they had to face the fact that they were about to attack the Shadow at a public gathering. If things went awry, countless lives would be in danger. If they didn’t execute the plan at all, they were simply waiting for the Shadow to endanger more people with its growing influence.

Drew laid an encouraging hand on Odelle’s shoulder. “With any luck, the next time we talk this will all be over.”

Odelle swallowed thickly and nodded but remained silent. When it came to the business of this crown, luck hadn’t been on their side in the past. Once Drew and Seraphina began weaving their way through the thickening crowds, Odelle and Antony headed towards the predetermined location. On the far side of the planetarium, even farther from the main entrance than where they had entered, the number of people dropped to the occasional straggler. Antony glanced around them continuously, as if worried that people would wonder where they were going.

“Remember, walk like you own the place and nobody will ever stop you,” Odelle leaned in and whispered in his ear.

“Easy for you to say when you look like you do own the place,” Antony retorted, but he squared his shoulders.

Odelle thought Antony could own anything he liked as well in the aubergine velvet tuxedo somebody—most likely Thad—had found for him. The jacket accentuated Antony’s trim waist, and the slim trousers didn’t make Odelle want to stare at his legs any less than she had when he was wearing a skirt. Now wasn’t the time for that though.

By now, they were alone in the back corner of the museum, until they came upon Adam and Nora leaning against the wall near a roped-off entrance. Nora wore the same one-shouldered gold gown that Odelle had helped her pick out for the Field Museum gala last year, while Adam sported a navy blue tuxedo.

“You better not ruin that dress fighting when I spent half my life trying to get you into something sparkly,” Odelle commented as they approached.

“If we pull this off, I promise to wear a sparkly dress to every event I go to from now on,” Nora promised, and gestured to the archway beyond the velvet rope. “You better get in there and hide. I don’t know how long it will take Drew to lure Biderman over here, but he tends to be efficient when given a mission.”

Antony stepped over the rope before reaching back to help Odelle do the same.

“Will Drew be able to lure her somewhere guests aren’t supposed to go? Maybe we should move the rope,” he asked, worry creasing his brow.

“If you really weren’t supposed to go here, there would be a locked door. Besides, we need to make sure other guests stay away so they don’t get caught in the crossfire,” Odelle reasoned as she lifted her second shimmering leg over the rope, glad she had taken to wearing them all the time now. Even though they weren’t her running blades, they fit so well that they would be the best bet in a fight.

Any more concerns Antony may have been about to voice were momentarily forgotten as they approached what was to be their hiding place.

“What is that?” Antony asked, slack jawed.

“That is how humans went to the moon,” Odelle declared as they stopped before the space capsule.

“This has been to the moon?” Antony drifted forward, lips parted in awe.