At the centre of goblin society is The Dance, the spiritual exaltation of life itself which is central to the goblins' existence. In the human world above, life is austere and goblins only a myth. When Count Anton is drawn into the rhythm of The Dance, a clash between two worlds is about to begin... Haghuf, respected elder among the unseen goblins, has only scorn for humans. Yet he is drawn into friendship with a human aristocrat by the Dance, the celebration of life that holds the goblin society together. Count Anton—human, magician, shapeshifter—rules the human world above. When an unwitting human wanders accidentally into the caverns, a series of events is set into motion that will lead him to betray his loyalty to his own people to avoid a war that the humans cannot possibly win. Hunted by humans who feel he has betrayed them by his friendship with the goblins, and unwelcome in the goblin world where all humans are considered the enemy, he will be thrown into a deeper world, where even the goblins have reason to be afraid.

Over ten years have passed since the humans waged war with the goblins. The goblins have become invisible once more, yet the memory of their existence haunts many who remember. A young girl, Namah, flees her home and an unwanted marriage. Desperation takes her to the riverside, the site where as a toddler she was patted kindly by the goblin who had befriended Count Anton. But another memory of that day unsettles her as she pushes the small boat into the current. A memory of bubbles in the river, and of blood. There’s something in the water still. Driven by a premonition that she belongs with the people across the river, she soon meets the children of Magicians...and of goblins. Yet there are greater challenges to face. In the midst of conflict between species, between generations, and between the ever combative northern and southern humans, a new enemy arises from over the sea. Foreign humans come to invade, expecting an easy conquest of the rich lands that Count Anton has so wisely kept productive of food supplies. The goblins see the danger of this invasion to their own uneasy peace with the familiar local humans, but they disagree among themselves as to whether they will best serve their kind by helping the surface dwellers, or by leaving all humans to kill each other once and for all.

In the world of the goblins, there is only one rule... Khemael, called both Angel and Demon by the superstitious humans, is a creature of beauty and grace, with a mostly human appearance. His love of stretching his leather-like wings and flying freely in the world of men brings far too much attention to the existence of the goblins. Haghuf, with the old ways entrenched into the very core of his being, knows that the inevitable responsibility will fall to him. He must destroy the beautiful creature who, in the world of the humans, would be called his grandson. Amidst unrest among the more fearful humans south of the river and disparity in the world of the goblins, messages come from Anton who travels in the north. A different kind of invader than those they have encountered before moves towards the city. They are moving south. Whatever happens, the impending incursion will bring change to their world... and Khemael’s flights threaten to bring the danger to the goblins.