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 lifted his head, his mouth stained with red, and his eyes were red also, seeming to almost glow. He released the stag and it spun and fled instantly into the night. Bel stood, wiping his lips as he turned to Oisin. “Are you afraid?” he said softly.


“No,” said Oisin, and in the instant he spoke it, it was true, though fear had run through him only moments before.


“I have promised I will not treat you as I did him, my little deer. I intend to keep that promise.”


“It is true, though, that I have tasted human blood. I have taken it as an offering, and I have taken it without being offered.”


Thinking of the deer bounding away into the night, he asked, “You don’t kill the ones you take from?”


Oisin looked up at Bel, frowning in puzzlement. He noticed that the red in his eyes was beginning to fade, their normal pale silver returning “You’re not defending yourself. I’m sure you had reasons…”


Chapter 20