Eagle Boy

In a moment of crisis, a ten-year-old boy finds himself transported to another place and time. He must learn to harness his powers and return to his family and save them.

Sinchi is the son of the village shaman. His house's spirit animal is the eagle, and he was raised on reverence of his forebears, especially his great grandfather Pango who was said to be a shapeshifter who could take the form of an eagle. The Kingdom comes under attack, and Sinchi's village is invaded, and when the door of his family's house is broken down, the next moment he finds himself in a strange land. Journey with Sinchi as he travels in place and time backward on the path of his ancestors, by the powers he inherited from them. He must achieve what seems impossible, and in the process he must overcome the corruptive forces that are unleashed inside him.

Eagle Boy is an imaginative adventure for everyone from 9 to 99. Click here to be directed to the Amazon site. See below for a sample chapter.




from Eagle Boy by Steven S. Scott


Two weeks passed. Ilari was ill for days, but with additional medicines from Sinchi she got better. She remained bedridden but was eating.

The day of the feast for Tupak finally arrived. Sinchi had asked Sumak over and over again in the preceding days to let him attend with her, but she steadfastly refused. Even the gift of the four–ribbed kaktus leaf wasn’t enough.

But he’d not given up. He remained determined to find a way. He thought about it all day as he worked. He was so distracted that he paid Kusi no attention during playtime, and she became very angry with him.

He went to the water channel to refill the big pot that afternoon, and the village was abuzz with chatter. He didn’t need to listen in on conversations to know what they were about. He formed a plan to sneak into the feast.

Before the sun had even set, Sumak put him and Kusi to bed, as he expected she would. But he wasn’t about to go to sleep. Sumak sat in a chair and chewed her koka leaves, waiting for them to doze off. He turned his back to her so that she wouldn’t see a glint in his open eyes. He pretended to breathe deeply.

Even if he’d intended to sleep, he probably would’ve been distracted by the sounds of the commotion outside. Villager after villager passed by their house, probably carrying special foods for the feast. Their footfalls sounded heavy. Distant voices spoke continuously and excitedly. It was difficult for Sinchi to remember to keep taking deep breaths.

But soon he heard Kusi breathing hard, and then the sounds of Sumak getting up and going out the door. He waited. The festivities had to be fully underway and everyone’s attention on the governor and the food and entertainment, before he could go. And he couldn’t wake up Kusi. He knew he shouldn’t leave her alone, but he thought she’d surely be safe asleep in the house.

He envisioned the village square where the festivities would be held. At the center was the chief’s pedestal. It was an exposed stone of the mountain, much like Sumak’s altar, but it was far larger. It was carved with symbols of all the houses of the village, and also star formations like the Seven Sisters. Sumak performed night ceremonies there. The chief’s stone was the most powerful connection to the energy of the world that was available. Uma also spoke from it whenever there was occasion to gather the village together.

Tonight, the governor would stand on the pedestal to address them. It would also be the stage for the performance of the songs of the ancestors. Everyone would gather around to eat and drink and be merry. Sinchi planned a roundabout path to approach the square without being seen. He knew a place close by where he could hide and eavesdrop.

He went almost mad with anticipation, but he waited and listened. Finally, he heard the tone of the voices change, and he knew that Tupak had arrived. More time passed, and Tupak made his speech. Sinchi was glad that it was very short. The chatter of many voices then slowly arose, which indicated they were sitting and eating.

It was time to go. He carefully got out of bed. He made no sound and got all the way to the door.

“What are you doing?” said Kusi.

Sinchi froze and cringed. There was enough light in the house that he could see her sitting up.

“I knew you weren’t really sleeping,” she said.

He gritted his teeth. He thought to tell her to lie down and he’d be right back, but he knew it wouldn’t work. And it would definitely be wrong for him to leave her alone awake. His shoulders slumped. His only choice was to stay and hope that Kusi truly went to sleep. But how long would that take? Time was slipping away.

“Never mind,” he said.

He was very sad. He laid down on his bed. Kusi didn’t ask more questions. He stared into the darkness. He began to fake deep breaths again. But he didn’t hear Kusi’s breathing. He couldn’t know that she was asleep unless he heard it. This went on for several minutes.

“I’m not sleepy,” she said. “Where is mother? Why is everyone out? What’s going on?”

Sinchi growled. Kusi was messing everything up. There was no way she was going to sleep before the feast was over. He’d miss everything. He’d been careful to never mention it to her, so she’d not be curious when the time came. He made sure she wasn’t around when he asked Sumak if he could go. But now he gave up. It was hopeless. He told Kusi everything.

“But I want to go!” she said.

“We can’t,” he said. “Children aren’t allowed.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Just go to sleep.”

But Kusi didn’t lie down.

“No. I want to go.”

Sinchi groaned. Then he thought about it: could they both go? He was sure she’d not be careful enough. She’d get caught, and they both would get in trouble. And he’d be in even more trouble than her, because he was older. If they embarrassed Sumak in front of the governor, it would be bad. Really bad.

He was crushed. He had no choice. He laid back down.

But he couldn’t stand it. They’d sing the ancestor songs soon. He realized that Kusi stood next to his bed.

“Let’s go,” she said.

She pulled on his sleeve.

He gave in. He decided it was worth the risk. He got up and gave her a stern stare.

“You have to be perfectly quiet. We can’t be seen.”

She nodded gravely.

They went to the door. He peeked through a gap to make sure that no one was nearby. He slowly opened it. First, he looked up to confirm what he hoped: the moon couldn’t be seen, and the stars were out and were very bright. It was a perfect night for a feast and the singing of ancestor tales.

He got his mind back to the task of getting to the square secretly. The greatest challenge was to not have a neighbor’s dog bark at them. He’d already considered the houses on the path they needed to take, and who had a dog and where it was kept. He closed the door and pulled Kusi by the arm.

They crouched and went slowly and carefully. Dogs have very sensitive hearing and smell, so he had to look far ahead before they could sense him. The first dog wasn’t there at all. It was probably begging for food at the feast. It was the same for the second, and the third. Sinchi was glad.

Their path was clear. Not a single pair of eyes in the village was looking out for them. They made their way around to one side of the chief’s stone, where there was an earthen embankment. It was close enough to hide behind and hear everything.

They crept carefully up to it. It was dark on that side, because the light from the fires in the square was blocked. They sat and leaned their backs against the embankment. It was sloped and grassy and very comfortable.

Sinchi turned to one side and took a quick peek. The adults of the village were having a grand time. They sat in circles, and each one had a separate conversation going. They laughed and drank and ate. He was so glad to see it that he wasn’t jealous to not join them. And he caught a sight of Tupak. He indeed was dressed in copious gold. It shone brightly in the firelight.

Sinchi was thrilled. He reminded himself to not take more risks, so he rolled back over. The starry sky spread out above him.

He tried to listen to the conversations, but it was all too noisome with everyone talking at the same time. He wasn’t bothered. It was still worth it to come. Kusi stared up at the stars and grinned.

The merriment went on for a long time until Sinchi heard the voice of Uma raised above the others. He’d gotten up on the pedestal.

“If I may have your attention, we’ve arranged entertainment for our honored guest. Amauta, Ilaska, if you will?”

Sinchi couldn’t help but take another look. Amauta and Ilaska were the oldest men in the village, and masters of the tribe’s lore. They were dressed up specially for the governor. They ascended the pedestal and Uma returned to watch.

Sinchi was about to turn back when he spotted Sumak. She sat alone at the periphery of the gathering, looking sad and drinking from a cup as usual.

Sinchi hid himself again. It would be no good if she saw him, to say the least. It was moments like that, that made him miss his father most. He remembered mother and father being happy together, especially on a night of celebration.

He heard panpipes. He didn’t look, but he knew the sound came from Harawek, the best player in the village. Harawek was so good that he was once summoned to one of the great cities of the kingdom to perform. Others now played other instruments. It was a big production. Amauta and Ilaska took turns speaking the verses.

Hear now
The tales of ancient time,
The tales of our people
Of countless generations.

Sumak had taught Sinchi how the tales of their ancestors were told by the stars. His people had lots of ways to remember their lore, so that it would never be forgotten. He gazed with admiration at the great river that flowed from the earth into the celestial realm and back. And the Seven Sisters sparkled.

We live in the present age,
The next will be the last.
But hear now
Of the ages that have passed.
Before the land of mountains
And the kingdom crowned in gold,
Was the land of summer fields
Where great count of beasts roamed.
Our people came there
from ice and snow
Where the night sky glowed,
Spirits from the deeps of time
Danced with the moon so long ago.
Those spirits
Were of the ancient world,
From a land of great rivers
Where the trees starward hurled.
The years before beyond count
Reach back to the first song,
When our people left dark caves
And set forth on journey long.

The song ended, and others were sung. Eventually, Amauta and Ilaska bowed and the merrymaking resumed. The panpipes played lightly on, making for a very pleasant atmosphere.

To Sinchi’s surprise he heard Uma’s voice, and fairly clearly. It was so close that he looked backward. Uma stood very near the embankment with none other than Tupak. Sinchi and Kusi moved closer together and tucked in their knees to not be seen.

“I need to speak with you privately,” said Tupak. “I’ve heard that your wife has been unwell.”

“This is true,” said Uma. “She’s sleeping as we speak. I believe she’s getting better, but it’s taking a long time.”

“I see,” said Tupak. “What are her symptoms?”

Uma described her fever and paleness and the spots on her skin, all over her body.

“I was afraid of this,” said Tupak. “I hoped it hadn’t come this far.”

“Afraid of what?” said Uma.

“She has the disease. It’s begun to spread through the kingdom. It would be best if you take her away from the village, before others are infected.”

Uma didn’t respond. Sinchi felt a lump in his throat.

“You must do it,” said Tupak. “There is no recovering from the disease.”

Kusi took Sinchi’s hand in hers and squeezed it hard. He’d known there was something unusual about Ilari’s illness.

“This had been foretold,” said Uma. “Are the rumors true, then?”

Tupak paused before he replied.

“Do not trouble yourself with rumors.”

“Have you heard them?”

“Yes. But rumors come from some having more drink than is good for them.”

“It has been foretold that gods would come from the sea,” said Uma, “spreading disease before them.”

“These are no gods,” said Tupak.

“But they came from the sea? I’ve heard tale of them being demon–gods.”

“Demons of imagination,” said Tupak. “There are no demons from the sea.”

“Is it true that their skins are pale like death? Is it from the disease?”

“You should not trouble yourself,” said Tupak. “I will send for your wife. You must stay here and protect your village.”

Uma breathed heavily before he spoke.

“What should I tell the people?”

“Tell them what I have told you. Do not spend idle time speaking of bearded white demons that drink blood and eat stones.”

Uma paused again. A chill ran up Sinchi’s spine, and Kusi squeezed his hand so hard that he almost gasped.

“Drink blood and eat stones?” said Uma.

Tupak chuckled.

“That is the tale. Do you see? It’s absurd. But do take care for your village.”

Kusi’s eyes were wide with fright. Sinchi now very much regretted coming. He was anxious to run away, to go to the house and bar the door.

Tupak moved on from Uma to speak with others, and Uma stood there, stunned. It took him a long moment to stumble away from the square toward his own house.

As soon as he was out of sight, Sinchi got to his feet and pulled Kusi behind him. They raced up the path. All the way he was terrified that hairy white demons with bloody fangs would jump at them from the shadows. But they made it home alive.