The defeated Byzantine emperor sends the mercenary Vallon on a secret quest to China in an effort to find the weapon known as "fire drug."
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AN EPIC HISTORICAL QUEST SET AT THE DAWN OF THE AGE OF GUNPOWDER. <br><br>In the world after 1066, vast empires clamor for dominance.<br><br>From the Normans in the north to the Byzantines in the south, battles rage across Europe and around its fringes. But in the east, an empire still mightier stirs, wielding a weapon to rule the world: gunpowder. <br><br>Seeking the destructive might of this 'fire drug,' the mercenary Vallon -- a man made of grit and earth as much as of flesh and blood -- is sent by the defeated Byzantine emperor on a secret and near-impossible quest to the far off land of Song Dynasty China. Alongside a squadron of highly trained soldiers, Vallon is accompanied by the learned physician Hero, hermit-like tracker Wayland and a young, ego-driven upstart named Lucas. All have their own reasons for going, all have secrets.<br><br>It's a quest that will lead them across treacherous seas and arid desserts and into an uncharted land of mountains and plains beyond the Silk Road. Many will die. . .but the rewards could be extraordinary.
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