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

Fand sighed deeply, and her dark eyes dropped. “That is truth.”


“I…” She looked back up at Bel, her teeth clenched. “You ask me to betray him to you. I cannot do that without a price.”


“You yourself said he must be stopped.”


“I know. Still, you must pay a price.”


Bel gave her a sharp look, his eyes boring into hers. She stared back, teeth bared ever so slightly, and her hand stroked the handle of the whip at her belt. “I see,” said Bel at length.


“I hate you,” she hissed softly. “I hate you so very, very much. I do not want it to consume me as it has Alitius, but I hate you all the same. I would see you suffer.”


“And if I…suffer, you will tell me what Alitius and Caydren plan?”


Chapter 60