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

“So we’re using our new names now? Very well, Belinos. But who is this mortal trailing behind you like a lost puppy?”


“They are hardly new by now. And this is Oisin. He is my…apprentice.”


Rhianna laughed, the sound rich and hearty. “You have not lost your sense of humor, I see. But what brings you here? I don’t expect you’ve come out from your solitary night just to introduce me to a human boy.”


“I owe a debt to the people who were once mine. Some of them are yet, it seems. They have sacrificed to me, and I accepted their sacrifice. But I lack the power to make their crops flourish after years of famine.”


Chapter 7