The Dragon and the Ruby Stone

Courage is not the absence of fear-it is choosing what is right even when your heart is beating fast.

When Kai chooses fossils for his summer discovery project, a family adventure leads him, his younger sister Lila, and Grandma Lin to Arkansas Bend Park on the shores of Lake Travis. Among ancient limestone, cedar trees, and hidden fossils, there are mysteries waiting to be discovered. But when Lila slips and becomes stranded below the trail, Kai must face his own fear and find the courage to help her. Later, near the place where Lila fell, something crimson catches Kai's eye beneath the pale limestone dust-a rough, weathered stone bearing a mysterious curved marking. When he places it beside the jade stone he already carries, Kai begins to wonder whether the two stones are connected...and what other secrets Lake Travis may still be hiding.

The Dragon and the Ruby Stone is the third book in the Lake Travis Dragon Series, a watercolor-illustrated adventure about courage, family, discovery, and the ancient mysteries beneath the lake.

Van B. Choat is an author inspired by dragons, lakeside legends, and the hidden magic of the Texas Hill Country. She lives along the shores of Lake Travis, where winding waters, storms, and dragon-shaped shorelines continue to inspire her imagination. Her Lake Travis Dragon Series follows Kai and Lila as they uncover mysteries hidden around-and beneath-the lake.