'The mood at Chia Wu is sombre. The initial excitement of the return of Jamie and Master Wu is fast dissipating. Wing's injury is getting worse, Feng Chow, although imprisoned on the island, is still harbouring the evil spirit and, worst of all, the great hope for the future, the Spirit Warrior, has lost his connection to The Way. For Jamie the loss is doubly hard, without The Way he fears he will never be able to find his mother.
They are not far into their journey when they are betrayed by the riverboat captain hired to take them inland. He sells the warriors to the pirates that board his boat and although the warriors fight hard, they are captured and Mr Fan is injured. They are imprisoned in the pirate's village.
Only Jamie and the captain know the implications of such a seemingly innocent gesture. The Warriors escape and with the pirates on their trail, Jamie leads them upriver. He has only instinct and deja vu as his guide. When he has the feeling he has lived this moment before, he is remembering it from his past life. It means he is on track. Jamie eventually leads his weakened companions to a long forgotten ruin.' (Publisher's blurb)