[2] At the end of New Found Land, Simon and Brad are in North America where they are captured by sailors from the Far East.

When they awaken after losing consciousness during the capture, they find themselves aboard a Chinese junk crossing the Pacific Ocean.

Simon is sent to the north to serve the general of the powerful Northern Army in charge of resisting nomadic barbarians.

A series of bad news arrives in the north from the capital which implies that the young emperor is being held incommunicado, or has been secretly deposed and killed by Lord Yuan Chu, a courtier with designs on the throne.

The Chinese themselves use flying kites to give the appearance that dragons are aiding their military, adding to their knowledge of the workings of the mind in a form of subtle hypnosis.