Chapter 5
The air was chill, for summer was passing, and the moon above was near full and bright as Oisin and Bel descended the hill towards the village below. The distant light of a great bonfire shone at the edge of the village, a beacon that called the pair forward through the dark.
It was Lughnasadh, the festival that marked the beginning of the harvest season, and all the village was celebrating. Even those who were outright Christians ventured to join in the feast spread beside the bonfire, but they avoided the other side of the fire, where most of the village was gathered now at the altar, to offer their thanks to their god who had blessed their harvest and saved them from starvation.
Bel strode through the night, making Oisin almost run to keep up. Things had been somewhat strai
