The silk road

"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?"

When a flaming bird leads Lucy and Dee to a hidden road, they meet the lord of stone who offers them a quest. In a new world 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 to destroy him.

With the entitled ruler in tow, Lucy and Dee must find a way home with only a mysterious feather and a dragon-whisperer (who looks suspiciously like a hedgehog) as defenses against capture.