“Why do I find myself doubting that where we are headed is any less safe then where were are fleeing, Andrei?"  She whispered the question, but it still sounded frighteningly loud to his ears.<br/><br/>“Is anywhere safe?” Andrei whispered back , latching the hidden door and shooting two stout bolts. “But there is food there, and fuel for the lamps. Elrick...”. He swallowed hard at the name, choking back tears that threatened to well up. “We had considered fetching stores from the guest house, come the dawn.”  Satisfied that the door was solidly barred, he rested his palm against the tough brick of the tunnel and cautiously began walking. “It will be safe.”<br/><br/>The last was more prayer than known fact. The guest house had to be safer. It had to be, or he was dead and Lady Ireena was worse than that. But this was no time to dwell on such thoughts. He focused instead on walking carefully, sliding his boots along the unseen floor, feeling for obstacles. It was less than a quarter mile, he knew. But in the darkness that distance was an eternity.<br/><br/>“If matters are this bad here,” Ireena wondered aloud, “I wonder how the rest of the village is fairing..."<br/><br/>“Better, perhaps,” Andrei observed. “The Beast seeks...”. He bit off his comment. She well knew what Strahd the Devil sought, better than he did. “What he seeks is not in the village. If they keep their doors barred, and hearten not to the whispers of the dead, they should be well enough.”<br/><br/>An eternity passed before Andrei felt secure enough to light the torch in his belt. Firelight kept and flickered, making the footing uncertain and the darkness beyond deeper, but the flame gave a measure of comfort. If anything found them, he would at least be able to see it’s approach.<br/><br/>Finally, they found the door.  It opened silently, revealing the cellar beyond. He stepped in, sword drawn and nerves taught. Nothing erupted from the darkness, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he closed and barred the hidden door.  “Would you light a lamp, my lady?” he asked. “It will make it easier to ensure the house is safe.”