Challenge on the Hill of Fire

by Marianne Hering

  “Release him!” the king said to Shane. “Set him free.”

  Shane took his hand off Patrick’s shoulder.

  Beth rushed toward her cousin. Tristan also moved to Patrick’s side.

  Shane followed the remaining druids out of the hall.

  King Logaire looked at the bishop. “Now, Christian,” he said, “tell us more about this Jesus in whom you trust. I want to know more about this peace He promises.”

  “Thanks be to God!” the bishop said.

  Then he began to speak.

  Tristan led Patrick and Beth through a side door and out of the hall. They followed a small corridor to narrow steps. They walked down to another door and stepped out into the sunshine.

  “So, you’re free,” Tristan said. “Will you go home, or would you like to stay with us?”

  From somewhere nearby, Beth heard a familiar humming sound. She saw the Imagination Station sitting near a well.

  Beth looked at Patrick. He had seen it too.

  “Home,” Patrick said.

  Beth nodded. “It’s time to go,” she said.

  Patrick smiled and said, “We have to tell our people about following the one true God.”

  “And you, Beth o’ the Shamrock?” Tristan asked.

  Beth smiled. “I’ll use a shamrock to explain about God,” she said.

  “Go with my blessings,” Tristan said. He glanced back toward the great hall. “I must return to the bishop.”

  As usual, Finn seemed to appear from nowhere. The squirrel climbed up Tristan’s robe to his shoulder. “Just in time to say good-bye,” Tristan said.

  Beth reached up and shook Finn’s paw. He chattered with excitement.

  “Good-bye!” Beth and Patrick called out together. They walked toward the Imagination Station.

  “Good-bye,” Tristan said. He turned and headed back inside the banquet hall.

  The cousins climbed inside the machine. The door slid closed. Swoosh!

  Beth pushed the red button.

  The Workshop

  Patrick and Beth burst out of the Imagination Station and into the workshop. They were wearing the same clothes they wore before their adventure.

  Mr. Whittaker looked up from his workbench. “Well? Did you find a pot of gold?” he asked.

  “What?” Patrick asked. Then he remembered Jake’s plans to build a leprechaun trap.

  “We saw some gold,” Beth said. “The king wore a gold brooch. The queen had gold jewelry. And the princesses even had gold sewn into their dresses. But there weren’t any rainbows with gold at the end.”

  “No,” Whit said. “Like believing in leprechauns, some legends are just wishful thinking.”

  Beth nodded. But Patrick was quiet.

  “What are you thinking about?” Whit asked him.

  Patrick frowned. “What a terrible time that was to live,” he said. “Sacrifices and slavery . . . Everyone was sad, scared, or angry. Even the ones with money and power.”

  Beth nodded. She said, “Except the bishop’s men. They didn’t seem to care about any of that. They only wanted people to know the truth.”

  Whit smiled at the cousins. “The Christians found the real treasure,” he said.

  Patrick’s eyes lit up. “That’s what you meant when you said we’d find treasure more valuable than gold,” he said.

  “That’s right,” Whit said. “For a while, the people of Ireland understood that too— thanks to Bishop Patricius.”

  “That wasn’t his real name, was it?” Patrick said.

  “That’s his real name in Latin,” Whit said. “In English, it’s—”

  “Patrick,” Beth said.

  Whit chuckled. “So you see,” he said to Patrick, “you have someone very important who shares your name. Maybe you saw things in him that you’d like to imitate?”

  Patrick nodded. “I’d like to stand up to guys like Lochru who bully people with their lies and pain.”

  “That’s a noble idea,” Whit said. “Bishop Patrick spent the rest of his life teaching people in Ireland about Jesus. After Bishop Patrick lit the paschal fire and met the druids in the banquet hall, it was the end of the druid religion in Ireland.”

  “So the king kept his word,” Beth said.

  Whit said, “More than that, King Logaire gave Bishop Patrick permission to share the gospel freely all throughout the land. Thousands of Irish men, women, and children gave up their old ways. People from all walks of life became Christians. Rich and poor. Slave and free. After that, missionaries were sent out from Ireland and spread the gospel across the rest of Europe. In some ways, it started with Patrick.”

  “Then I guess it can start with us, too,” Patrick said. “Maybe I’ll talk to Jake and his friends. I can tell them the real reason to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day.”

  “And I’ll use my shamrock pin to tell them about God,” Beth said.

  “That’s a good idea,” Whit said. Then he looked at them over his glasses. “You know, there are a lot of other Christians who changed history too.”

  The cousins looked at each other and smiled.

  “Come back tomorrow,” Whit said. “The Imagination Station will be waiting for you!”

  Questions about Bishop Patrick

  Q: Why are shamrocks a symbol for Saint Patrick’s Day?

  A: Legends say that Bishop Patrick used the three-leaf clover to teach the Irish people about the Trinity. The Trinity is made up of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (See chapter 12.)

  Q: Why is green the color of Saint Patrick’s Day? Did Bishop Patrick wear green robes?

  A: Green represents Ireland. Green is one of the three colors in Ireland’s flag. Ireland is also called the Emerald Isle because of its green hills. However, Bishop Patrick wore light-blue robes.

  For more info on Bishop Patrick and Ireland, visit TheImaginationStation.com.

  Secret Word Puzzle

  One day King Logaire’s daughters, Ethne and Fedelm, went to a lake with a fountain. They found Bishop Patrick and his followers camping nearby. After talking to the bishop, the two princesses became Christians. Ethne and Fedelm were baptized in the fountain that day.

  To discover the name of the fountain, find the correct path on the maze. Next write the letters you passed through in the boxes below the maze. The letters will spell the name of the fountain, which is also the secret word.