The Silk Road
Part of the Lucy & Dee series
"Oh, cheer up," said Lucy. "It's simple really, we find the Emperor, help him stay alive until he's ready to take the throne, get the key for changing lead into gold and then it's off to find your parents. What could go wrong?"
Lucy wants adventure.
When a flaming bird leads them to a hidden road, and the lord of stone offers them a quest, the opportunity for both arises.
Dee needs to find his missing parents.
In a land full of magic, dragons, and demons, all they have to do is befriend a young emperor which would be a lot easier if he wasn't a royal pain and an angry queen didn't want him destroyed.
They undertake a dangerous quest
On the run with the entitled ruler in tow, Lucy & Dee must find a way home with only a mysterious feather and a dragon-whisperer (who looks suspiciously like a hedgehog) their only aides against capture ... or worse.