For years now the harvest has been less than it should be. Last year the people of Oisin's village sacrificed a goat, but their god did not come. Now, in desperation, a human sacrifice has been suggested, and Oisin, recently orphaned and feeling life is not worth living, volunteers. But the god Belinos is not quite what he seems, and Oisin's sacrifice will not be what he expects, for Belinos first came out of the darkness to drink the sacrificial blood not because he was a god, but because he was a vampire. This is just the beginning of the changes to Oisin's life, as he is drawn further and further into a world of gods and magic, where the most unexpected thing is not even his own blossoming talent, but the blossoming feelings he has for Belinos. Love between mortal and immortal is not without its difficulties, though. As outright war among the gods threatens, Oisin will end up making a far greater difference in the conflict than he could ever have dreamed possible.

The Sacrifice

“Oisin?” Bel looked him up and down and nodded with a small smile. “It suits you. Follow me, my little deer.” He set off down the path, and Oisin went after him, having to trot to keep up with the tall god’s long stride.


The great double doors proved to lead not into the palace itself, but into a courtyard, which had a garden, filled with flowers that Oisin had never seen before. The flowers were all held in stone-sided beds, with smooth stone paths between them. The broadest of these ran from the doors to the palace proper, where a single, arched door stood at the top of a short flight of broad stairs. With Oisin still at his heels, Bel opened the door and went inside.


Chapter 3