Kelly Black is a little bit Nancy Drew and a little bit Buffy the Vampire Slayer. All she wants is to live a quiet, normal life but that is not fated to be. An innocent shortcut, late at night, propels her into another world: a world of adventure, mystery and family secrets.
Kelly meets Fagan who initially appears to her as a cat. Fagan is an Animelf, a mysterious creature that has the power to transform into any animal at will. He also has the ability to transport himself to another place and time, simply by stepping into a painting. Kelly's incredulity soon vanishes when she sees Fagan and his fellow Animelf, Balthazar, demonstrate their unique abilities. But she is in for an even greater surprise when it is revealed that her mother was, in fact, the queen of the Animelfs.
It is up to Fagan to teach Kelly to get in touch with and use her abilities and the clock is ticking. The Animelfs are depending on Kelly to go to the Black mountain and face the evil Morgrath, who threatens their very existence. Kelly reluctantly accepts the quest after Fagan takes her to her father's lab where she finds out that she has been living with a monster. Armed with nothing but a magical cloak, some Fairie bread and Fairie brew and the Dagger of Ice, it will be up to her to rescue Prince Callum and defeat Morgrath.
The quest is hard and the road is long but she meets Garth along the way. Garth also travels the path to the Black Mountain to rescue his family. Together they battle mutant creatures and Grulag soldiers who do Morgrath's bidding. When things look hopeless, they meet Sargon, a young wizard. It lies on their shoulders to bring the Daggers of Fire, Ice and Life together to unlock the power of the mountain and defeat Morgrath.