The Amethyst Ring Author:Scott O'Dell The role of Kukulcan, legendary god of the Maya, was a daring imposition for Julian Escobar, the young Spanish seminarian. And it led him into a life of splendor and peril. Even the fabled powers of Kukulcan could not save him when the armies of the conquistadores threatened his City of the Seven Serpents. Driven from his realm, Julian became a ... more »wanderer, haunted by the terror he had seen and by the memory of the Spanish bishop whose ring he wore. He becomes a trader of pearls, then a merchant of feathered cloaks. But Hernan Cortes has put a price on Julian's head and he flees to Panama. There he casts his lot with Pizarro, as hungry for gold as any conquistador. His travels with Pizarro's army take him to the great city of Macchu Picchu, high in the Andes. There he sees the magnificence of the Incan empire and witnesses its swift and tragic fall.« less