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

Finally, though, the bonfire began burning down. The feast was eaten, the mead was drunk, and people began stumbling back to their homes. Oisin saw Caydren to his home, for Caydren had visited the mead barrel more often, and could barely walk by the end of the night. He himself was a bit unsteady, but not so much so that he couldn’t make his way up the hill to the standing stones there.


He had a long moment of worry when he couldn’t immediately recall Bel’s true name, but it came to him eventually and he called out, “Mehshabel!”


The door immediately flickered to life and Bel came through it. He looked down at Oisin with a smile. “Have you enjoyed the revelry tonight?”


“Yes, sir.” Oisin smiled up at Bel, and then dared to claim his hand and twine their fingers together. Bel raised his eyebrows slightly, but he also smiled, and didn’t pull away. So they walked together through the door into Bel’s private world.


Chapter 32