Lilith & Hunter: The Raven's Nest

Motherhood

Lilith
It was well past midnight by the time we arrived home. The child had not so much as stirred even once on our way and he was currently sleeping soundly in his new makeshift crib which I constructed using plant magic. It was not the most refined crib but it would do for now. I would need to do a bit of research so that I can purchase everything the child needs tomorrow.  

The basket the child had been in only contained several documents that Emperor Belos had included for me to go over. The first thing that caught my attention was the incident report. The curiosity to find out more about Emperor Belo's' mysterious brother was overwhelming. I immediately opened the file and unsurprisingly all of the family's information was redacted. Their names, photos, and physical descriptions were all censored out. This was not uncommon with high-profile cases and considering who the victims were this was as high profile as it could get.

The report indicated that the child and his family had been attacked in their home and then the home was set aflame. Either the attackers were not aware of the child’s presence or they had left him for dead under the ruble. How the boy had managed to survive was anybody's guess. By the time the authorities had arrived the home was nothing but cinders. By chance, a beast keeper with a glawackus as a partner had been at the scene and thanks to that they had been able to locate the boy who was found unconscious and buried under rubble. He had been taken to the healer's coven immediately. From the medical report it appeared that my hunch had been correct, the child had been placed under a spell and a powerful one at that.

I have heard of healing spells like this though they were rarely used. They required multiple witches to be performed and an incredible amount of magic. The spell placed the individual into a coma-like state which would speed up healing. It normally was not used on people unless they had life-threatening wounds. The fact that the child had to be placed under such a spell spoke volumes as to how critical his condition must have been. Just the thought that anybody could do such a thing to a child was enough to make her blood boil. 

“If I ever come across those responsible for doing this to you I will...” I said before a thought suddenly occurred to me. “I still don’t know your name.”

I took out the rest of the documents from the basket and found the adoption forms and a new birth certificate. On the adoption papers, they referred to him as baby boy number 0206, and the section that would have shown his name was left blank. The birth certificate showed her as the child’s only parent and his surname as Clawthorne. Seeing her name on the boy’s birth certificate made everything start to feel more real. 

I took the birth certificate in both hands and reclined in my seat staring at my name. 
“I’m a mother now,” I said out loud as I stole a glance at the infant in his crib, “That’s my son. From this moment onward I will be responsible for his safety, his well-being, and his happiness,”

How am I supposed to do that when I don’t have a good relationship with my mother? It had been years since the last time we had seen each other. She had not even attended my coven initiation. I write to her regularly but I have never received an answer to any of my laters. I’m not even sure if she reads them. Would the boy even see me as his mother? Will I be able to feel an attachment to him as my son? 

I placed the birth certificate back on the coffee table and got up to stand over the child’s crib. This boy was not another case that needed to be worked on, he was a living being that was supposed to receive all of my love and affection. I will have to develop an attachment towards him. But would I be able to do that for him?

I very carefully lifted him from his crib and held him in my arms. He was so small and warm. And he felt so fragile as if he could easily break. At that moment the child opened his eyes for the first time that night. Now I could see they were a beautiful magenta color that I had never seen before.