“I could have used the rest for many nights now, my lady,” Andrei replied without thinking.  He regretted it instantly, mortified that she might think he was complaining. Or worse, that she might feel responsible or what had happened. “But,” he added quickly, “I have been fortunate enough to be able to sleep during the day.”  Most days. Well,<i>some</i>days. When the Burgomeister’s dwindling Guard wasn’t required to make an appearance to keep a semblance of order in the accursed town.<br/><br/>“A bit of rest<i>would </i>be welcome, though.  And this room appears secure enough.”  He made no comment on the portrait of Sir Leo DeGray, nor on the pain that flickered across Lady Ireena’s features. It wasn’t his place to speak - he’d loved the great man like a second father, but he knew she had loved him far more deeply.<br/><br/>Shaking his head, Andrei sought refuge from painful memory in action. He’d left his spear in the tunnel (in Elrick), but his scabbarded sword served to beat the dust from the bed. It exploded upwards in a thin cloud, making him cough and reminding him how fortunate he had been to be trained as a guard instead of a household servant. “Get some rest, my lady.”<br/><br/>Her disapproving stare drew a laugh that was quite against his will. “And I will as well,” he assured her, dragging an overstuffed armchair across the floor. “But,” he continued, shoving it against the door, “I think I can still fulfill my duty as I do.”<br/><br/>Just then, a sound chilled his blood. A small, simple sound. The sound of a hand trying the locked and barred front door.  “I pray you, my lady,” he hissed, voice barely above a whisper, “as you value your life,<i>be silent</i>.”