The Scythian Tomb

This excerpt is from Eclipsed by Shadow, Book #1 of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy, an adventure through history―on horseback.

The scene is set in 700 BC: Meagan flees a chariot-led attack and finds refuge …

Wherever man has left his footprint in the long ascent from barbarism, we will find the hoof print of the horse beside it.

—John Trotwood Moore (1852-1929)

Meagan expected the horses to whirl away, erupting in stampede. She scrambled to avoid being trampled and was stopped by a wall of packed earth. But no horse wheeled and ran, no horse gave alarm. All stood in rigid silence, immobile, and she did the same.

Shadows from smoking torches shifted as she stared through the gloom. Each horse’s tail was tightly wrapped and each mane was pulled short. Crude, stirrup-less saddles made of stuffed pillows were held in place by a girth, breast collar and crupper. The horses’ heads were topped with headdresses made of leather or fur, spouting feathers and links of gold. The effect was garish and otherworldly.

All the animals obediently faced the same direction. Very well behaved, she thought, impressed with the horsemanship. In the middle of the dim room, two horses flanked a kind of carriage, harnessed with roughly cut straps across their narrow chests. Only a few horses had riders; these sat mounted, staring ahead … but no one acknowledged her.

Meagan looked carefully around her. The walls enclosed a space the size of small warehouse. A rank, sickly sweet smell permeated the air. Wisps of smoke from the torches rose and disappeared into the round shaft above.

Uneven light and moving shadows made it hard to see clearly. Meagan moved towards one of the horses. She reached out and stroked its hindquarters as she tried to study the carriage more closely. Though it was in the darkest part of the room, she could see two wheels and a light cab, like a trotter’s buggy. The cart was made of wood and the sides were mounted with gold decorations of griffins, eagles and predator cats.

It could almost be the inside of a kind of a tomb, Meagan thought. She swallowed, thinking it seemed recently finished, if so. The torches had not even gone out…

Eclipsed by Shadow (Book #1 of the trilogy) won national awards including the Eric Hoffer Award for best Young Adult Fiction, and the Mom’s Choice Award for best family-friendly Young Adult Fantasy.

« “The First Ride” || “The Arena” »

The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy is an adventure through history … each section is about a different time period. The above excerpt is from “Home,” the 1st section of Eclipsed by Shadow, set in modern-day California.

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