Publisher's Synopsis
Joey insisted he kept seeing and talking to his dad. He had told his brothers and sister and they thought he just did not understand Pops' passing. But then Beeker and Joey went to stay with Charlie and Eleanor Winters for the summer. They lived on an old farm in the Abadon Forest . But so did the "Darkened." They did not want Joey anywhere near the Abadon. Why? They feared his innocence. The Peach kids were city kids and were used to the streets of the Bronx with the noises and smells and everyday hustle and bustle that was part of city life. When Pops died they were officially "orphaned" and Teddy,18, took over as head of the family. Plans had been made by Father Sullivan for the two youngest, Beeker and Joey, to stay with his friends, Charlie and Eleanor Winters, for the summer. Their first night there, a knock on the door introduces them to Jacob Lightfoot, a boy that no one knows anything about. They befriend Jacob and soon discover that his world is surrounded by darkness and evil. A girl named Lily constantly appears to help Jacob as the attacks on him increase. A hundred years have passed and it is time for The Great Festival of Torment to take place again. Unknown to anyone, Jacob is to be the Sacrificium Humani Agnus, (The Sacrificial Human Lamb), an offering honoring Satan. The Peach kids from the city are about to have a most memorable summer in the country.
