In Southern California, during World War II, twin sisters Flaca and Cuata are harassed by soldiers stationed nearby, but a bigger problem arises when the lost member of an underground species, shaped like a five-foot-tall lizard, needs the sisters' help.

"It has been years since Helen Franklin left England. In Prague, working as a translator, she has found a home of sorts--or, at least, refuge. That changes when her friend Karel discovers a mysterious letter in the library, a strange confession and a curious warning that speaks of Melmoth the Witness, a dark legend found in obscure fairy tales and antique village lore. As such superstition has it, Melmoth travels through the ages, dooming those she...