The Secret Passage

When caped creatures from the far side of the Impassable River begin to make appearances in River Grove, sixteen-year old Imre isn't afraid of them like everyone else in town. He's hopeful. After all, these creatures must have found the long lost passage beneath the river, which means he can find it too. Imre devises a plan to locate this passage, so it can be done away with forever. At least, that's what he tells his neighbors. Instead, he and his two friends, along with a third traveler who may not be quite so trustworthy, cross through it to discover what mystery and adventure lay on the other side.

There he meets Prisca, leader of a rebel army in disguise who are in eternal conflict with Balaszar, an enemy and kin whom Imre knows only from legend. This enemy, who has sworn to enslave the residents of River Grove "for their own good", has nearly overrun the mountain stronghold that protects the passage. Looking back across the river from a world away, Imre begins to see himself and his old home in a new light. He realizes it is he who must step into the gap, and even become a creature himself, if he is to save River Grove and help it rise to its true destiny.