The Eagle, the Cave, and the Footbridge — Robert B. Sloan

This is the second book in the Hamelin Stoop young adult fantasy series. Hamelin's story began when he was found as a newborn in a tomato crate on the stoop of an orphanage in west Texas. Hamelin's first adventures with the Great Eagle led him through the mysterious cave and finally, across the footbridge. He has learned that his quest to find his parents and learn his true identity will not be quickly done or easy to fulfill. The Great Eagle leads him through the dangerous Waters of Death and Life and into the Land of Gloaming, where Hamelin is thrown into the midst of a war already being waged between the evil Chimera and the mysterious Ancient One. He must help two new friends find a kidnapped princess and recover a stolen jewel, tasks for which they have special gifts that must not be misused; a scarf of sight, shoes of speed, and a sword of death. But these quests are only part of the larger story, a story including Chimera's plan to use Hamelin -- a child of two realms -- to seize the kingdoms on both sides of the Atrium of the Worlds.