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

He did that now. His ice spell didn’t rhyme, it sacrificed meter and rhythm to be more accurate, more precise, and shorter so that he could say it swiftly. If he had to describe the whole process in rhyme it would be far too long to be practical.


As it was, he finished the last words just as Caydren’s shadows reached for him again, and the icicle he’d formed sliced through the air towards them. It cut straight through the shadows, and Caydren spat a curse as he flung himself aside, out of its path. Oisin grinned darkly and cast the spell again. He didn’t want to fight Caydren, but since he had to, he would fight to win


Chapter 67