Showing Way of the Snow Crane by Andrew Pritchard

Tenzin Gyatso a non-conventional Buddhist monk, who has created a of martial arts called Snow Crane, is asked to act as a guide and protector for the young Pema and his two older companions, Kharma and Nomkai, who claim they are on a pilgrimage across the barren Tibetan Plateau to Muktinath in northern Nepal. As they travel through the harsh land, which harbours fierce bandits and other dangers, Tenzin discovers that his three companions are not what they seem, and that he has inevitably been caught-up in their desperate attempt for freedom.