A Dawn of Lilies
an excerpt

They glared at each other, until Ezra pointed to the wall and said, “Look, another sign. I think.” He frowned uncertainly at it.

“It says, ‘Alligators taste like chicken’.” Rick looked blank. “Okay. Good thing they’re keeping us posted on that situation.”

“Alligators?” Ezra asked. “Does that mean there really are alligators in the sewers then? Like he said?” He nodded at Peter.

“Of course not!” Lainey said impatiently, glaring at Peter. “He was just teasing.”

Ezra looked to Peter to check his reaction. Peter smiled and then winked solemnly at him. It’s true, he mouthed, and then nodded. Ezra, wide-eyed, licked his lips.

Kelly was still inspecting the sign. “What’s the rest of this? All these symbols... what language is this? I’ve never seen this before, ever.”

“I dunno. Looks Arabic maybe? Or... oh who am I kidding, I have no idea. Weird though.”

Peter got to his feet, stumbling slightly, and stepped closer. “I know what this is.” He gave them a grin like the kind offered by a skull and said, “It’s the language of the underland king.”

“Oh for god’s sake,” muttered Kelly, turning away. “Hey, I think Meena’s waking up.”

Peter continued studying the sign. Dreamily he murmured, “I can read this. You want to know what this says?” Everyone else was attending to Meena except Lainey, who watched Peter. He turned and looked directly at her, smiling, and in a conspiratorial whisper told her, “It says they’re doomed.”

Confused and frightened, she asked, “Why would you say something like that? What’s wrong with you?”

Peter crouched beside her and took her hands. “Don’t worry, Lainey. It’s not us, just them. They ARE doomed, but you and me, we’re meant for something special. I think I’m starting to figure it out, you know?” He peered deeply into her eyes, and then, letting go of her hand, he lightly touched the round swell of her abdomen. Cold fear filled Lainey like water. “What do you mean?” she whispered... her voice had failed her and she shook with fear of the crazy man so close to her. He stroked her abdomen lightly, a caress, the smile never leaving his face, his eyes seeming to sparkle with inner depths of light. “No,” he said as if deciding something. “I don’t think I’ll tell you yet. But you think about it, open yourself to the understanding. I hope you’ll come to realize it on your own, but if you can’t...” the pause spun out expectantly and he leaned closer, his lips so close to her ear that she could feel his breath on her cheek. “If you can’t, I’ll help you.”

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“So what’s my sin then? What terrible thing have I done to deserve this, huh?” Lainey challenged. Meena murmured, “You must know that for yourself…”

“No, I’m asking, because I really don’t know. I don’t steal or lie or beat up small children…” Meena let out a reflexive wounded cry at that but Lainey pressed on, “…I’ve never killed anyone…”

“But you want to!” Meena spat with sudden malice, and Lainey blinked in confusion and something that felt like guilt. “I have heard you talking, I have heard you dreaming. I know what is in your heart. You would like to kill; you have dreamed of it since you were a little child. And perhaps someday, if you had not come here, if you had continued in your life, you would have done it. You would have found the situation that would let you do it, feeling justified and righteous. Perhaps you would find a violent man, so you could kill him in the name of self-defense. Somehow you would do it because that desire has driven you all of your life.” Meena leaned closer, her hair hanging like a bloody shroud, and her eyes glittered. Her voice was gentle, belying the viciousness in her expression. “You are a killer. You were always a killer. You just never got the opportunity.”