Publisher's Synopsis
It's Lulu's turn to carry the golden amber stone and claim the "Waters of Jinshapudi" in "The Land of the Han" (China) in 100 A.D. She's headed to Chengdu and the "Valley of the Golden Dragon." To get there, she must travel through the Middle East with Janna, Billy, and Amos, her best friends, along with Buck, Sophie, and Hank, her eighth grade teachers. They join a caravan bound for Kashi while escaping from Vosanne, Feudal King of Merv. Traveling through the "stans" of the Middle East, the Time Tinkers rescue Nikku, her baby Nai Ji Zin, and Alek, from becoming human sacrifice. Escaping villagers that demanded their lives, Nikku, Nai Ji Zin, and Alek join the caravan. Ahead lie the barren, windswept mountains of the Pamirs. After weeks of painful struggle, the caravan finally reaches Irkestham only to find the one place that offered respite is beset by raiders from the northern steppes. The Time Tinkers help save the town and the caravan moves on to Kashi, bringing the leader of the raiders, Atrim Kan to justice along with most of the raiders. It's not long in Kashi before Lulu, Janna, Billy, and Amos are taken by a band of men known only as the "Brotherhood." Lulu is told her arrival in the "Land of the Han" had been prophesied by the Book of Changes, the I Ching, and that she must convince the Emperor to take action to save his Empire. The Brotherhood takes Lulu and her friends to Louyang, the seat of the Emperor, He Di. There Lulu meets the Emperor and during her interview, she mentions that she is in China for the "Waters of Jinshapudi." The Emperor is surprised and pleased that Lulu wants to travel to the "Valley of the Golden Dragon," a disputed area. Seeking to solidify his claim to the famed valley, He Di decides to accompany Lulu and then visit Chengdu to finalize preparation for the afterlife. Lulu is astounded to hear that the Emperor wants to go to Chengdu. She knows that Buck, Hank, and Sophie will be there and she and her friends will rejoin her teachers. What happens after the Time Tinkers are reunited and how Lulu finishes her journey through time is left for the reader to discover.
