A DARKNESS OVER RASHFORD

A Darkness Over Rashford is the second volume in Adrian Buckle's DEOS IRÆ trilogy, a dark, lyrical fusion of mythological fantasy, cosmic horror, and queer epic fantasy. Olympus has fallen, the gods are diminished, and the mortal world fractures under escalating violence, fanaticism, and supernatural dread. Apollo, devastated by the murder of his son and betrayed by the bargains that ended an age, struggles to hold what remains of his light together while the Mansion of the Gods becomes a last refuge at the edge of the small town of Rashford. But sanctuary is not safety. In Rashford's church, Satana's influence resurfaces through blasphemous ritual and a corrupting shadow that spreads into every corner of the town. Angels arrive with ultimatums; old loyalties splinter; and the fragile bonds between gods and mortals strain under grief, fear, and forbidden desire. At the centre of the storm stands Aodhán, a mysterious boy whose power makes him both target and key: if darkness claims him, the world may be remade in ruin, yet if he is surrendered to "heaven," freedom may be lost in another form of chain. As Apollo, Athena, Hermes, Aphrodite, and their human allies navigate prophecy, trauma, and the cost of survival, Rashford becomes the battleground where the future of light will be decided. Unflinching in its depiction of divine and human suffering, yet intimate in its emotional stakes, A Darkness Over Rashford explores love under siege, identity in conflict, and what it means to endure when even gods can bleed.