An Unwelcome Journey — James E. Wisher

All Joran wanted was a quiet life of research and study in his alchemy lab. It didn't seem like so much to ask. But when an emergency at one of his family's trading posts crops up, his father insists that Joran is the only one that can straighten it out. The next day finds Joran packed and on the road to the empire's southernmost province. Little does Joran know that a simple business trip will turn into the most dangerous journey of his life. An Unwelcome Journey is the first book in an exciting new Epic Fantasy Adventure.