The Scourge of God

I have invented a great deal in my plot, of course. There is no recorded theft of the great sword; all we have is mention of its existence. (Hungarian royalty actually claimed to have rediscovered the sword six centuries later.) As far as we know, Zerco was merely an unfortunate jester, not an imperial spy, though he was married as described and traded back and forth between Aetius and Attila. While Eudoxius did lead an unsuccessful revolt against Rome and fled to Attila, there is no record of his being an envoy to the Vandals-

even though the threat that Gaiseric represented to Rome did enter into Attila’s strategic thinking. Bishop Anianus did rally troops on the walls of Aurelia, and a hermit did call Attila “the Scourge of God,” but my suggestion that the two are the same person is fictional. There is no report of a fire at Attila’s palace set by a woman named Ilana, and Jonas’s pivotal role in great events is, alas, made up. In short, I freely embroidered already fascinating history to tell a good yarn.

I must also apologize for inflicting on the reader a vast and confusing geography of world war at a time when names were in flux. Caesar’s Gaul, for example, was actually by this time known more by the names of its Roman provinces, such as Aquitania. The Frankish triumph that would give it the name France was still in the future. The Celtic city of Cenabum had become the Roman city of Aurelia or Aurelionum, evolving into the French city of Or-leans. To help orient modern readers, Constantinople is today’s Istanbul, the ruined city of Naissus is the Balkan city of Nis?, the abandoned fort of Aquincum is in the suburbs of Budapest, the Roman tower that Skilla attacks is southeast of Austria’s Salzburg, the “wasps” of Sumelocenna are in modern-day Rottenburg, Augusta Treverorum is Germany’s Trier, and Tolosa became France’s Toulouse.

Who was Attila? What did he mean to history? In many ways his story is as foggy, and fascinating, as that of King Arthur. One thing we do know. The kingdoms that survived the assault of the Huns and the collapse of the Romans, evolved into Western Europe-and thus the civilization that still dominates the world today. When those ancient and doughty warriors beat back the Huns, they laid the foundation for our modern security. To go to the farmland around Troyes and imagine the ghosts of tens of thousands of charging cavalrymen, deciding the fate of the world is a moving experience.

A reader can also visit the island on which Jonas and Ilana finally settled. It’s in the Loire River at the town of Amboise in the heart of French chateau country, the only island high enough in that region to escape frequent flooding.

Near where the couple’s home stood there is a splendid view westward of the river and its gentle valley.

There is also a sad war memorial, partially sunken into the earth, recording the names of local men killed in recent wars. Unsurprisingly, a section on that memorial has been left blank, providing room for future inscriptions.

So does history march on.