Karen's face fell. How could she find either of them? She didn't even know the man's name, or where the mirror had fallen when she had thrown it away.
Fortunately Locusta had a little more information up her sleeve. 'He's a Druid, and his name is Math-Giddon- his Druid name, that is. Druids aren't very difficult to find; they usually know when they're wanted. He'll know what to do, but you have got to find the mirror first.'
'Oh, I'll try, anyway. I know vaguely whereabouts I threw it. Thank you, Locusta. You don't know how grateful I am!'
Locusta sighed. 'I hope you'll be all right. Surely it would be simpler and a lot less dangerous to stay here. Can't I persuade you not to risk your life getting to Britain? It's a hard journey.'
'No, definitely. I must get home again, no matter whom I have to leave behind ...' She thought sadly of Kleon. It would be hard to give him up. Thinking of him brought her back to the present.
'Is it safe to try and find the others again now?'
Locusta nodded, but declined gracefully when Karen invited her to come and meet them. 'I'll stay here,' she said, 'I don't think we would get on very well. Goodbye, Karen. You can tell them you met me; they wouldn't find me here. Do you want a candle?'
'Oh, yes please. It's horrible in the passages.'
Locusta produced one and smiled slowly. She passed a hand
over it and it burst into flame.
'A little magic for you,' she said. 'It won't go out until it reaches
full light. Goodbye, then ... and good luck.'
Karen thanked her again and walked out of the dead-end passage. At the entrance she looked back and waved shyly; Locusta waved too, the candlelight gleaming on her auburn hair.
Once out of the cell, Karen looked back again but there was only a blank wall. She passed a hand over it and nothing but the damp, solid feel of the stone met her palm.
She realized as soon as she was out of the cul-de-sac that she had forgotten to ask Locusta the way back, but she found the main hall easily, because the candle seemed to know the way with incredible surety. The little flame just leaned forward oddly and all she had to do was follow it.
The first time a turning was necessary the flame leaned to the left, pointing the way, but Karen did not realize what was meant, and went straight on. Only when the candle flame immediately shrank until she could hardly see did she understand and obey it after that. Thus the way back didn't seem half the distance it had before, for the candle obviously knew the quickest route.
Finally she reached the lofty entrance-hall and found Thrasyllus and Kleon waiting for her. Kleon hugged her. 'I was afraid you'd be lost,' he said. 'I nearly was.'
'The candle knew the way,' she told him. 'Oh! It's gone out.' To her surprise, however, she saw that the wick was unburnt, and that none of the wax had been consumed. Entirely mystified, she shrugged and told Kleon about meeting Locusta and the magic. Kleon was interested, but Thrasyllus frowned and looked grim. 'Witchcraft,' he said. 'It's unholy.'
'Yes, but you must admit it's been very helpful this time,' Karen said. She did not mention the twentieth century, until she and Kleon were out of the Catacomb in the fresh, early morning air.
Karen sighed. 'Isn't it gorgeous to be out in the fresh air again? Sit down here, Kleon; I've got something to tell you that's very important!'
He sat down, mystified, on a stone slab at the edge of the road, and Karen began her story, although it was very difficult to know how to begin.
'I ... I wasn't born here ....' she said at last.
'I know that!'
'No, don't interrupt. Just let me tell you. That's not a very good way to begin. By "here", I mean in this time. I was born nearly two thousand years in the future.'
'Karen, are you off your head?'
'No, I'm perfectly serious. I'm only in this century because I found a mirror, and- oh, I know it sounds silly- it was a…well, it was a magic mirror, and I looked into it and I'm here! Locusta understood, so why can't you? That's about all there is to it. I was born in Britain, you see, and we were on holiday on the coast. The mirror took me to the same spot, only two thousand years back. Oh, if only I could make you believe me! I could tell you about aeroplanes and television and spaceships and radio. I could tell you what will happen to Rome!'
Kleon stared, utterly incredulous. 'What will?'
'It'll go on for about four more centuries, I think, and then the Huns under Attila and the Goths will invade it. Nearly all the Roman Empire will be Christian by then, so you see Thrasyllus isn't working in vain. Anyway, Locusta's told me how I can get back to my own time.'
'I don't know whether you're mad or what!'
'I'm not mad! If I was, I wouldn't talk like this; I'd ramble and froth at the mouth. And I couldn't have made all this up, now could I?' She hoped her argument would hold.
Kleon sat deep in thought. 'So you're going?'
'I must, really.'
'Yes, I suppose so. It's a pity though; I shall miss you.' He sighed and played idly with her hand. 'How do you get back?'
'That's the difficulty.' Karen explained about having to find her way back to Britain and when she had finished, Kleon was silent. Then he stood up and pulled her to her feet.
'We'd better go soon,' he said with a smile.
'Oh, you needn't come! It's not that I don't want you, but you mustn't go chasing across Gaul for me.
'Don't get so agitated. You don't think I'm letting you go alone, do you? There's no telling what might happen to you on your own. Besides, I could settle in Britain once there. It's out-of-the way and there's plenty of land.'
Karen offered no further resistance, for she was really glad that he was coming; she had been worrying about how to find her way, and she didn't want to leave him in Rome.
They spent the rest of the night in the olive-grove, lying side by side with the stars overhead. Over the city the red glow from the fire looked savage and ugly and even bigger now than it had the previous night.
Karen lay awake for a while, watching the glare and hoping the fire would not come in her direction. She was glad that Kleon wanted to go soon, because she remembered that any time now Nero would have a great round-up of Christians, and the persecutions would really begin. By then, however, she hoped that they would both be safely out of the city.
They woke early and determined to start the same day. Karen wanted to say goodbye to Thrasyllus and Rhoda, if they could be found; and she would have liked to see Gaius and Lucilla, but she knew that was impossible.
The sun was hot already and the air was heavy with the now-familiar burning smell. Most of the houses and little shrines along here were still untouched, although farther on Karen could see gutted ruins.
On the left was a narrow grass verge, and it was there that they found the donkey. He was cropping the grass wearily and there was no one about who could be the owner.
Karen could never resist stroking animals, especially horses or donkeys, so she went to make his acquaintance. Immediately he trotted out into the road, shaking his head. Karen shrugged. 'Not very friendly,' she said.
'No,' said Kleon. 'Wait a minute, though. He'd be just the thing for the journey- you can ride on him. Let's grab him.' The donkey wore the remains of a halter, which made catching easier, and Kleon reinforced the halter with his tunic-belt. 'Get on,' he said.
Karen mounted with the help of a nearby bank, and settled herself on the donkey's anything-but-comfortable back. It was rather akin to a ship's keel, although he was in quite good condition and not very skinny. His fur was rubbed in a few places by harness, but apart from that he was well looked-after. He seemed to feel that the game was up now that he was caught, and followed Kleon quietly.
The shop was a smoking ruin when they reached it, and there was no sign of Thrasyllus or Rhoda, so they went up to the House of Caecina and left a note in the alley. Finding some biscuits and raisins left in the pantry, they took a supply of those
, along with a little bag of money which Lucius had forgotten, a few clothes, and a small sheepskin rug for the donkey's back.
Only then, sure that there was nothing else to do, did they leave Rome at midday and proceed north along the Flaminian Way.
XIII
THEY MADE SLOW PROGRESS AT FIRST BECAUSE THE weather remained almost unbearably hot, but the farther they got from Rome the happier they became. They had decided to go north by the Via Aemilia and then to make for the coast road to Genua and Massilia. From there they could cross Gaul via Lugdunum, Alesia and Lutetia, and try to get a ship from Itium.
It was Kleon who had worked out their route. Some of these names meant nothing to Karen, although she realized that in the future they would be important cities.
The roads were good, especially in Italy as far as Placentia, and they not infrequently met travellers, merchants and pedlars, but farther on the country was wild and lonely, covered with great tracts of forest. In these regions often the only people they would, meet in a whole day would be a troop of legionaries singing their harsh marching-songs and swinging briskly along. Karen used to wish that she and Kleon could go at that speed. They would soon be in Britain then! Occasionally they were given a lift by a lonely waggoner, which helped; and the donkey was either bundled into the waggon as well or made to trot behind. Karen was rather fond of him, but had somehow never given him a name. He was always referred to simply as 'The Donkey.' Considering the distance he had to go, he