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“But that’s pagan,” John said.

“Exactly so,” Mike said. “And when the
Romans came to Ireland, they put an end to the druids and their
ways of worshipping the natural world.”

“What kinds of ways?” John asked.

“Oh, well. Sacrificial offerings, to be
sure.”

“Human?”

“Upon occasion. In the fall, when Samhain
takes place, it’s a time of death, ya ken? There’s no more harvest
and winter’s coming. It’s time to kill the animals you’ll need to
survive until spring. Or the animals you don’t have enough fodder
to keep.”

John nodded thoughtfully. “But why would the
druid priests kill people, too?”

Mike let out a long sigh and Sarah realized
he was tired. She squeezed his hand.

“Well, it was a long time ago, John lad,” he
said. “But sacrifices are almost always made in order to please
some deity or to get something. And for most of Ireland’s history
I’d say that came down to survival. What do I have to do, who do I
have to kill, to keep myself and my family alive? Sure, it’s no
different when America was just beginning and life was hard?”

“Yeah, maybe,” John said, glancing over the
bonfire to the towering trees of the forest that surrounded the
compound. “I just don’t see our founding fathers tying a goat to a
rock and waiting for a tiger to show up.”

“I should say not,” Mike said, standing and
pulling Sarah to her feet. “Ready for bed, darlin’?”

Sarah leaned over and kissed John on the
forehead. “Don’t be up too late,” she said. “That’s when the
goblins come out.”

She and Mike left the circle to the sound of
laughter to make their way back to their cottage. Sarah was to
remember this evening later with warmth but also terrible pain. The
sounds of the young people laughing, the smell of the bonfire as it
ate the wild cherrywood. The next morning, a stark gray dawn showed
a world so radically changed that nothing would ever be the same
again.

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ABOUT THE
AUTHOR

Susan Kiernan-Lewis lives in Florida and
writes mysteries and romantic suspense. Like many authors, Susan
depends on the reviews and word of mouth referrals of her readers.
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Copyright 2013

by San Marco Press.

All rights reserved.