Lamanai

"No longer would I be Lamanai, the orphan boy who the people of the village spoke of in tones of mystery and presentiment. I would be Men-Chen-Balm, the Great Eagle-Sky-Jaguar, King of the Lamaya. Soon the throne of my ancestors would be mine."

- Lamanai

Lamanai is one of the villains who appears in Chris Heimerdinger's ''Tennis Shoes Adventure Series. He serves as a supporting protagonist and anti-hero in Warriors of Cumorah, a major antagonist in Kingdoms and Conquerors, and a minor antagonist in Sorcerors and Seers and Drums of Desolation. ''He is the last surviving member of a lineage of Lamanite royalty who wishes to attain the throne that his ancestors had.

Past
Lamanai was born to the king of the Great Jaguar-Paw, the king of the Lamanites. Lamanai's parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncles were all killed by Fireborn in an attempt to purge the royal lineage of Yax-Chaac-Xok. Lamanai was taken by the priest Hapai-Zin to the forest of Seibalche, where Lamanai was adopted by the shaman Kanalha. Lamanai was forbidden to reveal his true lineage to anyone other than Kanalha, who took a blood oath to keep the secret.

Warriors of Cumorah
Lamanai is introduced midway through the book, in which he narrates a chapter. He and his stepbrother Pacawli track down a wounded jaguar, hoping that they can kill it. The two of them split up, and Lamanai comes across the river coming from a cave that leads to the Rainbow Room. As Apollus, Meagan Sorenson, and Ryan Champion emerge from the river, Lamanai is astonished and assumes them to be the Mayan gods Hunahpu, Ix-Chel, and Xbalanque, respectively. Lamanai accidentally reveals his presence to Apollus, Meagan, and Ryan, who curiously ask about his origins. Lamanai reluctantly reveals that he is the son of the Great Jaguar-Paw of Tikal, and that his people are descended from Lamanites. He also reveals that the Nephites no longer dwell in these lands, as they had signed a treaty with the Great Jaguar-Paw and are being forced northward by Fireborn's armies.

Apollus and Meagan then ask Lamanai to bring them to his village. Lamanai agrees to bring them to the shaman, hoping that with three Mayan gods at his side, he can take the throne for himself. As he is leading them to the village, they come across Pacawli, who was killed by the jaguar they were hunting. The jaguar returns and tries to kill Lamanai, but Apollus kills the jaguar. The quartet brings the dead jaguar with them as they go to the village.

Lamanai brings Apollus, Ryan, and Meagan to Kanalha, eager to prove that their arrival is a sign of the people of Tikal rising up and defeating Teotihuacan. On arrival, Lamanai's other stepbrother, Kux-Watch, sees that Pacawli is dead and inquires about Meagan, Ryan, and Apollus. Lamanai tries to convince Kux-Watch that they are gods, but Kux-Watch doesn't believe him. Right then, Kanalha arrives and checks out the new arrivals. He deduces that Ryan is actually Kukalcan (the mythical Mayan equivalent of Jesus). Ryan goes along with this notion, cementing the belief. Lamanai tries to contradict this by saying that Kukalcan was prophecied to come down from the clouds, but Kanalha shoots down the argument. Afterwards, Lamanai demands Ryan to prove that he is a god by declaring that Lamanai is supposed to be king. Ryan, though freaked out at the prospect of being a god, agrees.

That night, Lamanai accompanies Kanalha and Kux-Watch to a ceremony with Ryan, Apollus, and Meagan at Kanalha's house. At the ceremony, the tamed jaguar named Huracan comes to greet Ryan. Huracan brings Ryan a dead monkey as a gift, but Ryan turns it down and lets Huracan eat it. After Huracan licks Ryan's hand and leaves, Lamanai reveals the truth about his origin. Kux-Watch and the villagers refuse to believe this, saying that if there was a member of the Yax-Chaac-Xok lineage was still alive, then Fireborn would not have conquered the kingdom and Blue-Crocodile wouldn't have taken the throne of Tikal. However, Kanalha reinforces the belief that Ryan is Kukalcan.