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

“Speaking of spells, I recently located a translation of Principia Magicathat you should find of interest. Quite a lot of it is absolute nonsense, but some of it is very valid. Comparing it with the spell book you already have, which is quite definitely valid, should yield useful results. Shall we retire to the library?”


“That sounds wonderful,” said Oisin, and still holding Bel’s hand he went at the god’s side through his palace, to the library, where they sat together and read as the stars turned slowly overhead. Oisin thought, as he sat close by Bel’s side, that even if what he felt was not love, it was very good, and he could be content with it.


Several more weeks had passed uneventfully, and Oisin was once more reading in the library with Bel when a deep chime sounded somewhere else in the house.


Chapter 25