Mary screamed in pain. Her abdomen burned as her loins felt like they were being ripped in twain. Her husband, Joseph, did his best to comfort her, but his words, his touch, were a million miles and a thousand years away. Nine months prior, the angel Gabriel had told her she would give birth to the Messiah. She had been overjoyed and honored to have been chosen, but now, writhing in pain in a stable surrounded by animal shit, she began to wonder if it was worth it. Surely, if The Lord had chosen her for such a great honor, he wouldn't allow her to suffer so. Would He?
A fresh bolt of pain caused her to lose all thought; reduced to a grunting, bleating animal. The midwife screamed something but Mary lacked the cognitive ability to put meaning behind the sounds. Her body convulsed and cramped till she was nearly folded in half, then, release. Her body became still as she heard the babe cry. She began to weep with joy as she begged the midwife to hand her her son. She wanted to see him, hold him, worship him as their deliverer and future king. She stretched out her arms to take him when she was suddenly hit by another bolt of pain.
This was wrong. This was unnatural. This was unholy. She could hear the midwife say something about another baby coming out but that was impossible. Gabriel had said she would give birth to a son and name him Jesus. There was no mention of another son. This wasn't part of God's plan. This was an abomination. She cried and screamed for the midwife to kill it. The midwife took no notice of Mary's demands; thinking them to be nothing more than the rantings of a first-time mother in pain. Finally, there was that sense of release again, except this time there was no joy in this birth.
"Look at her," the midwife said happily as she cleaned the child. "One of each. How lucky you are!"
Joseph let go of Mary's hand and slowly, with great trepidation, made his way over to the second child. He too had been told by Gabriel what would happen and this was not it. He gingerly took the baby in his arms and looked down at her. He was immediately struck by how beautiful, how perfect, she was. Like her brother, she was quiet, her bright, intelligent eyes, barely open. Your mother did all the work, yet you're the one who's tired, eh little one, he thought to himself. Any fear or doubts he might have felt melted away as he was overtaken with a father's love.
Then she yawned.
Inside her tiny, newborn mouth were two long, distinct fangs. The sight of them made his heart stop and he nearly threw the baby to the ground. This was a thing of evil, a vile demonic perversion. Mary was right - this thing needed to die.Then she looked into his eyes and cooed. And just like that, she was his daughter again.
"Madam, if you please, my wife and I are most grateful for all your help, but may we have some time alone with our children?" Joseph asked sheepishly, not wanting to offend her, especially after all she had done for them.
"Sure thing my loves." She smiled and gently patted his left cheek. "I've done birthed three of 'em myself. I know parents need a little alone time, especially with the first," she then paused, chuckled a bit, and added, "and the second. I'll be right outside when you need me." She then turned, opened the barn door, and left.
"Kill it," hissed Mary, scowling at the child in Joseph's arms while holding Jesus tight in hers.
"Beloved, please, if you just look at," Joseph began to plead but Mary cut him off.
"It's a monster! This, this is the child! The anointed of God! That, that is garbage to be thrown out! Kill it! Take it away before it harms Jesus!"
Joseph looked sadly at Mary, then at the baby girl. If he tried to keep her, Mary would find a way to kill her, yet how could he harm an innocent child, a baby, his baby? He then remembered and knew what he had to do. "Alright beloved, I will do what needs to be done."
2
The nighttime desert is an exceptionally cold place and lonely place. Above him, the blackened sky stretched into Infinity; mirroring the desert around him that extended to the very edges of eternity. It showed how small and insignificant man truly was. Not even the lights of Bethlehem dared journey this far into the desert.
Joseph held his daughter tightly against his chest, trying to keep her warm until his heart told him he had reached the place. He knelt down in the sand and began to pray, but not to God. It was another he was after. He began to whisper the secret words he had heard the old woman say. She had been a bent, wrinkled, old crone whom all the town had been afraid of. One day, he was dared to go spy on her by his friends. He had watched and listened in fascination as she said words in a language he had never heard before. Not Hebrew or Aramaic or Latin; not even Greek. Somehow, through the passage of all the intervening years, those words were as fresh in his mind as though he had heard them yesterday; as if meant for this very time. The air began to swirl around him, faster and faster; surrounding him with a twisting, turning wall of sand. Everything disappeared from sight as a cacophony of screeching owls blared from the wind itself, assaulting his ears until he thought he would go deaf, but still, he recited the invocation. The maelstrom of wind, sand, and screeching crescendoed to the level of madness, then, suddenly, it stopped.
Joseph, who had been bent over to protect his daughter, slowly raised himself and looked around. He was inside a cave with torches fastened to the walls all the way around; bathing the cave in a rich, warm, bronze light. Before him stood a tall, elegant woman with deep brown skin, green eyes, and long, thick, black curly hair. She had a long, ethereal black and silver dress on, and held a staff with an owl totem on top. This was who he called. This was Lilith.
"Well, well," Lilith said, her tone was malicious and mocking with a smokey yet sonorous quality to it. "Joseph of Nazareth. I never expected," she suddenly stopped as her gaze fell upon the baby in Joseph's arms. "Who is that?" She asked in terror; panic rising inside her as she stepped back against the wall of the cave.
"Not who you think," he answered, looking down at the babe. "This is his twin sister."
It took Lilith a few minutes to process what he had just told her. This was impossible. This, she, was not part of God's plan. Nothing exists outside of God's plan, yet here she was.Cautiously, she stepped forward, curiosity overtaking her fear. "How is that possible?"
"We don't know. He was born, then she was. My wife told me to kill her," Joseph was unable to finish.
"And you brought her to me," Lilith exclaimed with a vicious, accusatory, hiss. "You brought her to the baby killer to do your work for you, is that it?" She elongated her claws, ready to tear out his throat.
"No, to save her," Joseph cried out, turning his back to protect his daughter.
Lilith stopped dead, astonished, unable to speak. She dropped her hands and could only look at him, her mind refusing to grant her tongue the power of speech.
Joseph slowly turned and looked up at Lilith, his eyes pleading. "They call you the Mother of Nightmares and the Mother of All Monsters. That's not you. I know who are, remember? You are a mother in your heart and soul. I can not kill my child; neither can I protect her. You are my only hope."
Lilith stared at him. Of course she remembered. It was part of her curse: the curse of God. She turned away; unable to look at him. "There are plenty of mothers who have lost children in this world. One of them would be more than grateful to take the child. Give it to one of them." Her voice hummed with the dissonant chords of sorrow; a well of infinite sadness raging within her.
Joseph stood up slowly and held the child out to her. "With fangs?" He asked softly.
Lilith spun around and rushed over to the child, pulling up her lip to see her two, perfect fangs. She then stepped back once more, visibly shaken. "Mother of Nightmares, Raper of Men, Killer of Newborns and Children, those are what they call me. I am a demon of the night. That child has no place by my side." Her voice was bitter and sad but there no conviction behind it.
"The only place she will ever be safe is by your side!" Joseph pleaded. "She is an innocent who would be killed just because of how she was born. There is no justice in that. I know what is said of you. The priests say angels kill one hundred of your children every night. Here. Take this opportunity to get one back."
"Never trust a priest," Lilith said ruefully. She then turned and took the baby from Joseph's arms, cradling her with a mother's love. "I will take the child, Joseph of Nazareth. She will be protected. You have my word."
Joseph began to bow down and praise Lilith but she stopped him. "Yahweh and Lucifer seek praise and worship; I only seek to be left alone."
"As you wish Mother Lilith. Before I go, may I impose upon your mercy one last time? I am her father. Maybe not her real father, but her father nonetheless. It is the duty of a father to protect his children and give them a name. I am too weak and worthless to do the former; however, with your permission, I would like to do the latter."
Lilith nodded. He always had a way of appealing to her greater sympathies. "You may name her, Joseph of Nazareth."
Joseph leaned over his child; smiling while the tears dripped from his cheeks. "I'm sorry I can't protect you, but know always that I loved from the moment I saw you, my beautiful Carmilla." He kissed her on the forehead and looked up at Lilith. "I'm ready to return."
"Your house is protected by another but you shall always have my personal favor and protection." Joseph nodded in solemn gratitude. "And Joseph of Nazareth, please know that you are better than the god you worship."
"My tongue shall forever remain silent on that," he said.
Lilith waved her fingers and smoke enveloped Joseph, obscuring him from sight. When it dissipated, he was gone. Lilith smiled. In all her thousands of years, no one had treated her with the kindness Joseph had. Lilith was pulled from her reflections by the sound of Carmilla crying. "What's the matter little one? Are you hungry?" Part of Lilith's dress disappeared, revealing her left breast; blood already beginning to drip from her nipple. She held Carmilla up to it and the babe immediately latched on and began to suck.
"That's right my love, my little angel of the night," Lilith said, wincing slightly at the pain from Carmilla's fangs piercing her flesh. "Feed and grow strong." She then started to sing the sweetest song anyone had ever heard - a song about a mother's love.
3
Lilith was playing with Carmilla, laughing and giggling. Two weeks had passed since Joseph of Nazareth had given her this bundle of love and joy. Despite all the things babies do and need: cry at odd hours of the day and night, feeding, cleaning, and constant monitoring; it was all worth it. Carmilla had brought immeasurable joy into her life. Besides the sheer love Lilith felt for her, Carmilla had also given her life new meaning.
Yahweh had sent Michael and Gabriel to track her down after she had rebelled and left the Garden of Eden. When they found her, they chained her up, took turns raping her, forced her to give birth to one of their children, and then killed him before her eyes before making her barren forever. This was God's "Divine Punishment" for refusing to allow Adam to rule over her. Centuries later, she would be called the Mother of all Monsters; a final twist of the knife from Yahweh. Over the proceeding millenia, Lilith devoted herself to learning and study. She found avenues and access to powers outside of Yahweh. She grew in the ways of magic and mysticism. She had made it her mission to find some sort of system that would allow her to take her creator by the throat and tear it out. Now, thanks to Carmilla, her life had meaning beyond revenge. Instead of seeking death, she sustained life.
Lilith gently poked Carmilla's nose with her left index finger causing the infant to laugh even louder. She took Lilith's finger in her tiny hand and began to chew on it. Carmilla's fangs biting into her skin made Lilith wince in pain but she kept smiling and laughing. This was good pain. She picked Carmilla up and cradled her with her right arm. She wagged her left index finger in front of Carmilla's face, pulling it away just as the babe would grab for it. This game that delighted Carmilla to no end. It pleased Lilith as well.
As they played, Lilith suddenly felt the presence of another approaching. Without doubt, she knew exactly who it was and why he was here. There were very few people who knew where she was. Fewer still were the ones who could actually reach her. Lilith lived in a pocket dimension within the greater reality. Only a being of immense power could travel there. Panicked, she knew the only place she could hide Carmilla was in the realm of mists, a separate dimension. She also knew how dangerous that was and didn't want to, but knew of no other way she could keep him from discovering Carmilla either. With a heavy heart, she cast the spell and sent her away.
A man appeared before her. His skin glowed like the noon day sun. His eyes were a crystal blue, his hair was long strands of pure gold. His dimensions were perfect in every way. "Ah, Lilith. How good it is to see you again," the man said with a smooth, slick voice; in a tone so melodic, it almost sounded like he was singing.
"I'm not your friend Lucifer, so why are here?" Lilith snapped; her face stern and warning her eyes locked on his, staff in her hand, ready for battle.
Lucifer raised his hand in a stop motion. "Easy Lilith. I've only come to talk." He shook his head in disappointment. "I must say, I am hurt by your greeting. After all, I was the one who gave you the secret incantation to escape Adam. I feel that you owe me at least a little of your time for that."
"You used me, then abandoned me. If anything, I should kill you where you stand," Lilith hissed with venomous hate.
Lucifer slowly stepped forward, his arms outstretched by his sides. "Oh I'm sure you would if you could. You've grown powerful over the millennia. Maybe, one day you will, but you're not there yet. I don't wish to fight, only talk. I promise."
"Your promises have no more substance than the air used to produce them," Lilith retorted. "Fine! be quick about it." She was angry and didn't want to deal with his arrogance. She was also worried about Carmilla and wanted to get her back as soon as possible.
"Fair enough," he said with a curtious bow. "The night demons have told me they've seen you with baby recently."
"I sing songs to soothe dying children. Sometimes I take them on flights through the sky. I fail to see how that's any concern of yours."
"They also have told me that Joseph of Nazareth had recited your invocation about two weeks ago as well, and that he appeared to have a newborn with him. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" He never raised his voice. He remained calm, confident the entire time; knowing he was in full control.
Lilith remained stone-faced, however. "Yes, the Earthly father of the Son of God came for tea. Nice man, brought the boy with him as well. Cute kid, looks nothing like him though." Then Lilith put the back of her right hand to the left side of her mouth and whispered, "I don't think it's really his."
Lucifer's face went dead with his eyes glowing with Hell fire. "Don't mock me witch."
"Then stop being stupid! Tell your spies to do a better job or give them better eyesight since they obviously don't know what they're looking at."
Lucifer took one step closer and Lilith assumed a fighting stance. "I may not be able to kill you, but I am more than capable of hurting you - severely."
"Where's the child Lilith?" Lucifer's voice was humorless and direct. He was done playing games and wanted only the truth.
"What child?" Lilith held her ground, her face not betraying anything.
"The girl. Do you really think I came here without a full investigation? The night of the Christ's birth, the midwife said that two children came from Mary's womb: a boy AND a girl. She also said that Joseph left with the girl, but came back alone. So, once again, where is the child?" Anger was beginning to creep into his voice now.
Lilith looked him up and down. "I know nothing about any child other than the ones I comfort and the Christ. Besides, what good would such a child be to you?"
"Don't be stupid Lilith! You know as well as I do that she represents the first thing to exist outside the Will of God. A thing He neither created nor knows about. Such a creature could help us finally pull that Tyrant from the throne."
"And help you take it over," Lilith said mockingly. "The throne is your desire, Lucifer; not mine. What I want is vengeance. I have no desire to take part in your and Yahweh's pissing contest. Now I know of no child, and, as you can plainly see, I have no child. I have no more time for you, so leave or fight. Those are your only two options."
Lucifer gave a small chuckle as his lips curled up in a smile so sharp, it could cut air. "Ok Lilith, I'll go. Though, be warned; if I find you are keeping the child away from me,"
"If I am hiding a child, I would do all that which is within my power to protect it."
"How well did that go for your first?" He asked with a vicious laugh.
Lilith screamed and lunged at him, but he disappeared before she could land a hit. She spun around, trying to sense him, but he was gone. Now, gripped by fear, she called forth Carmilla from the mist. To her great relief, Carmilla appeared, screaming and crying, but unharmed. Lilith scooped her up, into her arms, holding her as tightly as she dared. "Don't worry my little angel of the night, I'll never let anyone harm you or take you from me. I promise!"