Bruja Born (Brooklyn Brujas #2)(87)
“Do you remember this?” I ask Dad, but he only shakes his head.
We sit in a circle. The entire living room is lit with candles. Mom looks nervous. I think I can understand what she’s feeling. Maybe it’s better if we just keep going forward. Maybe it’s better if he doesn’t remember at all. We are happy now, and that’s what matters.
But sometimes at night, I still hear Dad cry while he dreams. There are moments, even when he’s telling old stories or singing his old song, when he’ll freeze and space out. His eyes glaze over like a darkness is overpowering him, and in that instance, it’s like we never got him back at all.
“I’m ready,” Dad says, his hands jittery as he closes the Circle.
When we lock hands, I sit up straight. An image floods the inside of my mind—a place that glitters with gold, hidden behind a forest of white trees. When I see a woman walk through the forest, I know where we are. Her skin is dark tree bark and her ears end in fine points. Her dress is made of hundreds of flower petals, like they cling to her skin with nothing but magic. She’s surrounded by dozens of humans and faeries alike, holding court right at the heart of the forest.
Then, a hideous face blocks our path. His face is like wrinkled leather, and when he smiles, a set of gold teeth shine back.
“I knew I’d find you,” he tells my father. “No one—no one escapes the Kingdom of Adas.”
Author’s Note
Welcome back. As I continue the stories of the Mortiz sisters, their magical Brooklyn keeps expanding. Alex, Lula, and Rose are three incredible girls with the power to do great things or terrible things—perhaps even both at the same time. Bruja Born is Lula’s story. I’m often asked which of the sisters I identify with the most. Authors write bits of themselves into their worlds, and on many levels, that character for me is Lula Mortiz.
MORE BRUJAS
Labyrinth Lost introduced the world of the Brooklyn Brujas. Bruja is the Spanish word for witch. Brujeria is what their magic and practice is called. The brand of magic I’ve created in these pages is a combination of the popular culture I grew up consuming and what that structure would look like if the influenced came from Latin America instead of Europe. It’s impossible to create a system of Latinx witches without considering where that magic comes from. Colonization, slavery, conquests, assimilation—it’s all part of that history, and as the Mortiz sisters come into their powers, they get to explore what it means to be brujas in the world.
Lula and her sisters have grown up in a time where they keep their magic secret, but they didn’t have to worry about the witch hunters their parents feared. Now that their world is changing and the magic of their generation is becoming stronger, they can feel that the magical New York of their childhood is going to undergo a shift.
THE THORNE HILL ALLIANCE
Established in 1987, the Thorne Hill Alliance is a supernatural organization responsible for keeping the peace between magical beings in the city. They take their name from the location where their treaty was signed, Thorne Hill, Brooklyn. The THA serves as allies first and foremost to the vampires, weres, faeries, and other creatures trying to find their way in the greater New York area. They first appeared in The Vicious Deep and are back to handle whatever threatens their city.
THE KNIGHTS OF LAVANT
Established in 1303, Gerona, Spain, the Knights of Lavant are an order of hunters sworn to protect humans from the threat of the supernatural. The New York chapter of the Knights of Lavant have worked side by side with the Thorne Hill Alliance since 1990.
WHY BLOOD?
Blood is important in many cultures. Catholics symbolically drink the blood of Christ. Pagan religions required blood sacrifice. In mythology, creatures drink blood to survive. Blood is vital to survival, and so in a magical ritual, it is the most valuable thing that can be offered to the gods.
Both Lula and Alex have offered their own blood to complete a canto or close a portal. In order to perform these rituals, both sisters had to harm themselves. Self-harm and the ideation of it should not be taken lightly, and if you need someone to talk to or are struggling with suicide, do not hesitate to reach out to someone you trust or a professional. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers twenty-four seven support that is free and confidential. Visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org or call 1-800-273-8255.
Acknowledgments
Writing can be a lonely endeavor, but creating a book isn’t. Bruja Born wouldn’t be possible without the constant support of Adrienne Rosado, agent and best friend all in one. I realized this long ago, but I don’t tell you enough that one of the reasons I’m able to do this is because you believed in me from the start.
To the wonderful #TeamBrujas at Sourcebooks Fire for their constant magic: Alex Yeadon, Katy Lynch, Nicole Hower, Elizabeth Boyer, and my publisher Dominique Raccah. I’m especially grateful to my Alta Bruja and editor, Kate Prosswimmer, who understands these characters as well as I do, sometimes better.
Everyone who read this book in its early stages is my personal hero. An enormous thanks to C. B. Lee, Yamile Saied Méndez, Kristina Pérez, Diya Mishra, Anna Waggener, Anna Meriano, Angel D. Cruz, and Tehlor Kay Mejia.
To Cat Scully for another incredible map and my copyeditor Gretchen Stelter.
To the librarians, booksellers, bloggers, and readers I’ve met the past five years. You keep books alive and in the hands of those who need them most. Thank you for your underappreciated and tireless work. Book nerds forever!