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

Bel took a step forward, and his smile was just wide enough to show his fangs. “I’m sure you are. Nevertheless, I suggest you go, now.”


Alitius hesitated, then with a wordless snarl he spun and stalked away across the garden. Bel shut the door, then held out his hand, and a sprite answered his unspoken will and landed on it, the tiny, humanoid being seeming even smaller on his large hand. “Follow him and see if he leaves directly. If he does not, watch and come tell me what he does.”


“Yessir,” said the sprite brightly, and it darted through the wall as if it wasn’t there


“Who was that?” said Oisin, feeling both relieved and slightly annoyed that the visitor had ignored him as if he wasn’t there.


Bel laughed. “Ah, all gods bless you, I wish you’d said that in front of him, he’d have fallen over from rage on the spot that you didn’t know his name. Alitius is a god of death.”


“I thought Arawn was the god of death?”


Chapter 16