Page 88 (1/2)

“Finding the toot—date and age—and see what else there is The catacomb was used between the second and the seventh centuries His will be so that there will be souistic signal, so that’s not in Latin”

“I hope he didn’t make it too hard for us non-Huns”

“I have faith that he didn’t Think about what you and Sa you about hio and stand in each of the places where his life was changed He’s taken you froht of his power, hold on the Hungarian Plain surrounded by his hundreds of thousands of fanatical followers, all the way back to the very first moment of his career Noe know that the start wasn’t a triumph It was the morave, about to be sent away as a hostage And what he did was vow to conquer Rome and be buried here”

“But he didn’t conquer Rome”

“He reached the point where it was in his power to do that but chose instead to preserve his overpowering army for another day”

“And he died before he could come back”

“True,” said Albrecht “His death was a co period while he was burying his hoards of pillaged treasure and leaving es, I’m sure there was never a doubt in his mind that he would take Rome and declare himself emperor When he turned back at the Po River in 452, he are that there was nobody left who could stop hi his kingdoer had an arainst him It turned out that Aëtius’s none was the last victory by any Western Roh to see it that way I think that in 453, in late spring or early suone back to attack Rome Instead he died”

They walked along the dark catacohts from their foreheads the only illuht on an inscription or there was a flash when soroup Sa every seal stone you come to Take pictures to help record our route”

They walked on, along gallery after gallery At one point, Tibor and János turned to look at an offshoot of the corridor they were in, then scurried to rejoin the group as the light moved on ahead

/>

Sa too?”

Tibor said, “It sounded like footsteps somewhere in the dark behind us You heard it?”

Remi said, “You think that Attila’s men came down here and took over an earlier burial?”

“Exactly,” said Albrecht “We think they found a tunnel, or even a district of the catacoh so nobody ever visited it any stone and whatever human remains were behind it Next they did what so much deeper and wider into the stone to make a cha so the tomb looked like the thousands around it But if the treasure is anything like e’ve read, the chaer than any of the crypts we’ve seen so far”

“We’ve got to thinkit,” said Remi “Is there a family symbol, or a pun on Attila’s name, or a nickname?”