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

Oisin blinked, wiping the excess ointment from his eyelids. The sprites, which had begun to be a bit translucent and indistinct, came back into clear solidity, and Bel’s gorgeous aura emerged from the ether. “There. Now I can see what the charm is doing. Let’s go.”


Bel smiled. “What charm are you working on, that requires sunlight to function?”


“It’s protective amulet,” said Oisin. “Something for…my friend.”


“Ah. I see. Will you see him today?”


“Probably. He’s been hired on by Kerwig, but he seems to have free time enough when he wants to.”


They reached the door, and Bel chanted the short lines in his ancient tongue that opened it. With the ointment fresh on his eyes he could see how the standing stones were wreathed in power, drawing it down from the sky and up from the earth as they bridged between the two. The power flared as they bridged the worlds as well, and the rainbow sheen he’d been able to see even before he gained the second sight was a swirling glory.


Chapter 35