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  Praise for The Imagination Station® books

  I like this book as one of my favorites, and I read a lot of books.

  —Cassie, age 10

  Olive Branch, Mississippi

  [The Imagination Station books] focus on God much more than the Magic Tree House books do.

  —Emilee, age 7

  Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

  These books are a great combination of history and adventure in a clean manner perfect for young children.

  —Margie B., My Springfield Mommy blog

  Hunt for the Devil’s Dragon is a great book because it teaches kids to stick up for their friends if someone is bullying them. I know I will stick up for my friends now!

  —Tanner, age 11

  Southaven, Mississippi

  More praise for The Imagination Station® books

  My nine-year-old son has already read [the first two books], one of them twice. He is very eager to read more in the series too. I am planning on reading them out loud to my younger son.

  —Abbi C., mother of four

  Minnesota

  Our children have been riveted and on the edge of their seats through each and every chapter of The Imagination Station books. The series is well-written, engaging, and family-friendly, and it has great spiritual truths woven into the stories. Highly recommended!

  —Crystal P., Money Saving Mom®

  Hunt for the Devil’s Dragon reminded me of a fairy tale and a mixture of Narnia. I would recommend this book to anyone.

  —Brenna, age 11

  Olive Branch, Mississippi

  Hunt for the Devil’s Dragon

  Copyright © 2013 Focus on the Family.

  ISBN: 978-1-58997-738-9

  A Focus on the Family book published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188

  Focus on the Family and Adventures in Odyssey, and the accompanying logos and designs, are federally registered trademarks, and The Imagination Station is a federally registered trademark of Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, CO 80995.

  TYNDALE and Tyndale’s quill logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide (www.zondervan.com).

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of Focus on the Family.

  With the exception of known historical figures, all characters are the product of the authors’ imaginations.

  Cover design by Michael Heath | Magnus Creative

  Cataloging-in-Publication Data for this book is available by contacting the Library of Congress at www.loc.gov/help/contact-general.html.

  ISBN 978-1-62405-111-1 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-62405-112-8 (Kindle); ISBN 978-1-62405-110-4 (Apple)

  Build: 2013-04-01 15:00:37

  For our source of hope, the Lord, Maker of Heaven and Earth: Use this tale to bring hope to those in need and courage to those who live in fright.

  —WTB

  Contents

  1: A Root-Beer Float

  2: Hide-and-Seek

  3: Georgius

  4: The Message

  5: The Daring Ride

  6: The Beast

  7: The Breakout

  8: Dragon’s Fire

  9: Battle at the Cave

  10: The Dragon’s Fate

  11: Lucius’s Lies

  12: The Saber-tooth

  13: Good-byes

  14: Whit’s End

  Questions about Dragons

  Secret Word Puzzle

  About the Authors and Illustrator

  Interview with Rachel Batson, an author’s daughter

  A Root-Beer Float

  “It’s not fair,” Beth muttered to herself. She was walking into Whit’s End.

  She walked past several customers. They sat at tables eating ice cream.

  Whit was busy behind the counter. He smiled at her. “Hi, Beth. What can I get for you?” he asked.

  “A double scoop of ice cream, please,” Beth said, “with root beer.”

  She sat on a stool and folded her arms on the counter. Then she rested her chin on her arms.

  Whit slid the foamy root-beer float across the counter. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?” he asked kindly.

  “Hey, Beth!” a familiar voice called from behind her.

  Beth turned around and saw her cousin Patrick walk into Whit’s End. He approached the ice-cream counter. A large backpack was slung over his shoulder. He dropped it onto the stool next to Beth.

  “You have a lot of books there,” Whit said.

  Patrick nodded. “Yep,” he said. “I’ve got a science report to do.”

  “Let me know if you need help,” Whit said.

  “Uh-oh,” Patrick said. “I see a two-scoop root-beer float. What’s wrong, Beth?”

  Whit looked to Beth for her answer.

  “I had trouble at school,” Beth said. “It was during recess.”

  “What happened?” Whit asked.

  “Leslie Wazzek and her friends ganged up on Rachel,” Beth said. “Leslie said that Rachel cheated off her during a math test.”

  “I know Rachel,” Whit said. “I have a hard time believing she’d ever cheat.”

  “That’s just it,” Beth said. “Rachel didn’t cheat on the test.”

  “And if she was going to cheat,” Patrick added, “she wouldn’t cheat off Leslie! Leslie couldn’t add two sticks together using all her fingers . . . and a calculator. She’s about as smart as—”

  “We’ve got the idea,” Whit said to Patrick. He turned to Beth. “Why are you upset about an accusation that isn’t true?”

  “Because Leslie and her friends teased Rachel the entire recess. Finally Rachel started crying and ran inside,” Beth said.

  “You saw all of this?” Whit said.

  Beth nodded. “I was right there,” she said sadly. “I should have done something to stick up for Rachel. But I didn’t. I was . . . afraid.”

  “Afraid of what?” Whit asked.

  “Afraid of Leslie turning on me,” Beth said. “She says mean things about people.”

  “Yeah, that’s Leslie, all right,” Patrick said.

  Beth lowered her head. “I’m such a wimp,” she said.

  Whit gazed at her a moment. “We all have moments of feeling afraid,” he said softly. “But that doesn’t mean we’re cowards.”

  “What do you mean?” Beth asked.

  “The two of you should come with me,” Whit said.

  Beth looked up at him. “An adventure in the Imagination Station?” she asked.

  Whit nodded. “Have you ever seen a dragon?” he asked.

  “A dragon!” Patrick cried out.

  Whit smiled and motioned for them to follow him.

  Beth sat inside the Imagination Station. It was like the front end of a helicopter.

  “Where are we going?” she asked. The idea of meeting a dragon made her feel curious. And a little uneasy.

  “To England, right?” Patrick asked. “That’s where all the dragons were. King Arthur killed one, I think.”

  Whit laughed. “No, not England,” he said. “And you’re not going to meet King Arthur. This adventure takes place in northern Africa. You’re going to meet a man named Georgius.”

  “You really think this will help?” Beth asked. “With Leslie and Rachel, I mean.”

  Whi
t raised an eyebrow. “Are you all right, Beth?” he asked.

  Beth shrugged. “I don’t know which scares me more,” she said. “Leslie Wazzek or meeting a dragon.”

  Whit chuckled. “There’s only one way to find out. Are you ready?”

  The cousins nodded.

  Whit tapped a button, and the door slid closed. The red button on the dashboard began to blink. Beth pushed it. The machine began to shake. There was a loud hum. Then everything went black.

  Hide-and-Seek

  “When did you arrive?” a boy asked. His eyes were big, and his skin was dark. “My name is Hazi,” he said. He gave her a curious look.

  Beth felt startled. A second ago she had been sitting in the Imagination Station. Now she was standing before a boy named Hazi.

  He was dressed in a tunic with colorful stripes. He pushed a round cloth hat to the side of his head. He blinked a lot.

  Beth glanced at Patrick. He looked confused too. He pointed to his clothes. He was dressed in a tunic like Hazi’s. But Patrick had a thick coil of rope draped around one shoulder.

  Rope? Beth thought. I wonder what kind of adventure Mr. Whittaker has planned.

  Beth also wore a colorful tunic. Except hers had a shiny green belt. On her feet were sandals.

  She put her hand inside her tunic pocket. She found a metal nail file. She looked at her short, clean nails. Do I need a manicure? she wondered.

  There were planks of wood under her feet. And water sparkled in the gaps between the wood. Around her were tall stacks of beautiful folded cloths. There were fat barrels, too. And decorated pots.

  Beth heard shouting in the distance. It sounded like men at work.

  A nearby voice startled Beth. “I’m Sabra,” the voice said.

  A tall girl stepped up next to the boy. Sabra looked a lot like Hazi. But her eyes were bigger. And her hair was longer. She wasn’t wearing a hat.

  Beth guessed they were brother and sister.

  “Where are we?” Patrick asked.

  “You’re an odd one, my friend,” Hazi said. “This is Leptis Magna. It’s one of the greatest port cities in Libya.”

  Hazi motioned toward some piles of fabric. He said, “You’re standing next to my father’s imported goods. My father is a wealthy merchant, you see.”

  “Hazi!” Sabra said. “Don’t be so boastful. Besides, these two must be rich as well. Look at the colorful fabric in their clothes.”

  “You must be right, my sister,” Hazi said. “Surely they came to Leptis on a boat like us.”

  “What are your names?” Sabra asked.

  “I’m Beth,” she said. “And this is my cousin Patrick.”

  “Ah, fine names,” Hazi said. He clapped his hands. “Fine names for new friends. Come and play with us.”

  “Yes, yes,” Sabra said. “You must play. It was such a long, boring boat ride.”

  Patrick and Beth looked at each other and then shrugged. What else could they do?

  They followed their new friends. Hazi led them through a maze of crates. They discovered they were on a long dock. Several tall ships were anchored there.

  Men and women in tunics or long robes wandered about. They looked as if they were shopping. Other people were dressed in rags. They carried heavy crates down from the ships.

  But the shine of gold caught Beth’s attention. Standing at every corner on every dock were soldiers. The men wore golden chest armor and long red capes. They carried spears and short swords.

  Roman soldiers, Beth thought. She had seen them before on another Imagination Station adventure.

  Hazi stopped at a stack of crates not far from the shoreline. He opened a crate and took out two brown pieces of cloth. “Let’s play slaves-and-masters,” he said. “You can pretend to be slaves. Sabra and I will be your masters.”

  Beth looked at the men in rags. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that game,” Beth said. “Slavery isn’t a game.”

  “What about hide-and-seek,” Sabra said. “It’s great fun.”

  Beth wondered what Mr. Whittaker would think. She knew he hadn’t sent them back in history just to play games.

  Patrick seemed to be thinking the same thing.

  Before they could speak, Hazi said, “The rules are simple. We must stay on the dock. No getting onto a ship or hiding along the shore. And no dropping into the water. Sabra will seek us.”

  “Not fair, Hazi,” Sabra said. “You always get to hide first.”

  “You see how mean she is?” Hazi asked.

  “I’ll seek first,” Beth said. “I don’t mind.”

  Sabra and Hazi scattered away from Beth.

  Patrick hesitated and then rushed away.

  Beth put her head down on a pile of cloth. She closed her eyes. “One, two, three . . .” She counted to twenty-one. Then she lifted her head and looked around.

  Beth made her way through the crowds of people. No one seemed to notice her. She went to stacks of boxes that had been grouped in rows. She peeked around them.

  A group of soldiers passed by. One of them glared at her. She moved farther in among the crates.

  “Hazi! Sabra!” a deep voice shouted. The voice was so loud that several people turned to stare. Beth turned too.

  The voice came from a short, stocky man. He wore a fine robe and colorful silk scarves.

  “The wagon is loaded, my children,” the stocky man called. “It’s time we go home!”

  Hazi popped up from inside a tall, round pot. “Aww,” he said, “this was my best hiding place!”

  The man waved at Hazi. “Bring your sister,” he said. Then he walked toward the land end of the dock.

  Suddenly, Sabra and Patrick were at Beth’s side.

  “Come with us and meet Father,” Hazi said.

  Hazi and Sabra hurried to shore. Many people were walking about. The cousins followed them through the crowd.

  The stocky man was tying down the cargo on a covered wagon. “Ah, my children,” the man said. He smiled broadly at Hazi and Sabra and gathered them in a hug.

  “Father,” Sabra said, “I’d like you to meet our new friends. This is Patrick. And Beth.”

  “Greetings to you!” the man said. “I’m Tarek of Silene!”

  He had a thick, rounded beard that was black with flecks of gray.

  Before Beth or Patrick could answer, a shadow fell over them.

  A deep voice said, “What’s this, Tarek? Two new workers who weren’t on your scroll? It’s unlike you to cheat Rome. You know there’s a tax on all newcomers to Leptis Magna.”

  Beth looked up. She saw several Roman soldiers on horseback. The one who had been speaking wore a tall golden helmet.

  “I’ve never cheated Rome,” Tarek said. “And I’ve not begun today, Prefect Lucius.”

  “I see,” Lucius said. His hair was almost as red as his cape. “Then how do you account for these two? They tried to hide from my soldiers on the docks.”

  “They were merely playing hide-and-seek,” Tarek said. He turned to Patrick and Beth and gestured. “Tell the noble prefect that you aren’t my workers.”

  “We’re not his workers,” Patrick said simply.

  “Then who are you? Where did you come from?” Lucius asked. “Show me your ship.”

  “We didn’t come on a ship,” Beth said.

  “You see?” Tarek said. “They are from merchant families.”

  “Could be,” Lucius said as he rubbed his beardless chin. He looked at Patrick and Beth. “Tell me, where are your parents?”

  Beth glanced at Patrick. He looked scared.

  “Come now, children,” Tarek said. “Tell Prefect Lucius where your parents are.”

  “They aren’t here,” Patrick said.

  “Tarek smuggled you into our port,” Lucius said. “Just as I suspected.” Lucius turned to his soldiers. “Arrest them, and put them in the stocks!”

  Georgius

  Two of the Roman soldiers got off their horses. The men moved toward the cousins.

>   Patrick’s mind raced. He had to quickly think of a plan. But it was no use. They were surrounded.

  “Wait, good prefect!” Tarek called out. “They’re only children.”

  “They’re yours, then?” Lucius asked. “This is trouble. Double the taxes for trying to trick me.”

  “You don’t understand, prefect,” Tarek said.

  “I think I do,” the Roman prefect said.

  Lucius walked his horse around a stack of crates. “You could make your trouble go away,” he said. “Just give me a crate of your spices.”

  “Prefect Lucius,” Tarek said, “I didn’t bring these children to port. It would be unfair to make me pay—”

  “Don’t speak!” Lucius said. “Soldiers, carry these children to the stocks. And take one crate of Tarek’s spices for hiding them.”

  “What?” Tarek cried. “My village needs all the crates to live! You know this. Please don’t, I beg you!”

  “Your village will have to live with one less crate,” Lucius said with a sneer. “And these children can rot in the stocks for all I care. Soldiers, take them!”

  Patrick moved back from the soldiers. The rope on his shoulder slipped off.

  One of the soldiers said, “And he even brought his own rope. We can tie them up with it.”

  “No, don’t!” Beth cried out. “Please.”

  “Wait!” a soldier on horseback called out.

  Everyone stopped and turned.

  The soldier urged his horse forward. He quickly got off his mount. The soldier was tall. He had broad shoulders. His arms were large and muscular.

  The soldier gave a salute. “Prefect Lucius, may I speak?” the soldier asked.

  Lucius frowned. “What is it, Georgius?” he asked.

  Georgius said, “We know that Tarek is an honest man. We also know the needs of Silene, his village.”

  Georgius motioned to Patrick and Beth. “And these two are mere children,” he said. “It would be unjust to put them in stocks. What of Rome’s mercy?”

  “You are too soft, Georgius,” Lucius said. “What are these children to you? Castoffs, throwaways, dogs . . .”