Fiction for middle-grade readers.

The mystery of time has always fascinated children and adults alike. Trigon:  The Riddle of the Keys, is the first of three books that are based on this primary theme: if a wizard named Emit, the guardian of 'time', is unable to contain his eternal enemy, a tricky shadow demon, time will end. This adventure includes elements of fantasy, mystery, and a touch of horror, for the villainous demon is the eater of all things; his only desire is to swallow everything into his dark emptiness.

Protecting time for eternity is hard work. Exhausted, Emit must rest for over five-hundred years to regain his strength. Fearing his diminished magic will soon fail against the demon's trickery, he devises a plan to trap the demon in an invisible prison he names Trigon. Emit creates the Trigon with what is left of his magic. Before locking himself behind a secret, magical door at Trigon's center, he also creates a riddle plaque, a mysterious demon table, a set of three keys, a special dagger, a secret book, and most important, he hides a secret drawing—a drawing that three fourteen-year-old champions must find in order to solve Trigon's riddle. All Emit can do once his plan is in motion is to rest and hope that his chosen champions will solve the clues he has left behind. The demon is free to terrorize the lands only within the trigon. A small price to pay—if the magic of Trigon fails and the demon is set free, the demon's appetite will eventually devour the universe.

Branded with strange and unique birthmarks, Emit's chosen champions, Hakim, Arin, and Boyd are the true heroes of this story. Born in different centuries, each child encounters the demon shortly after a life altering experience. They are each tricked into damaging an important cornerstone of Emit's Trigon. When satisfied that each child has served his needs, the demon swallows the children until time is right for him to release them, together, at the Trigon's center. Only then can Trigon's ultimate riddle be solved. The children must overcome their own internal struggles and shortcomings; they must solve riddles, unlock secret doorways, and survive magical trials as they unknowingly act out Emit's plan. Only working together can they succeed, but the demon knows their deepest fears and wants. He will not deny his ravenous appetite. Their tasty emotions of fear, anger, uncertainty, and even their ignorance are only an appetizer for his eternal hunger.

After weakening the three cornerstones of Trigon, the demon is finally ready to battle Emit for control of time. What he does not realize is that the children are much more than they appear. Though they themselves are not magical, they each are part of a powerful last key, the final part of Emit's plan to trap the demon. When the demon ascends from his hiding place to proclaim his victory, he is defeated by intellect and the combined strength of Emit's champions. Hakim, Arin, and Boyd work together to solve the final riddle—Four keys in all: metal, bone, and wood, three for evil, one for good—ensnaring the demon in his own magic.