Leah mounted the stairs in front of the great mansion timidly, unsure if she belonged at this gathering of the affluent. She knew that the Duke was descended from the original wonders of the estate and that the house had survived the centuries since; it was a castle in all but name and stood as a monument to the old civilization. The imposing entry stood before her like a sentinel from the ancient world, guarding the secrets of a long dead family. The gargantuan knockers on the door sat unused and mouldering, seeing no hand touch them in many years.

She approached the door and rapped her knuckles against the painted wood, afraid to touch the brass of the knockers lest one fall. The door swung outward and revealed an aging man who welcomed her to the mansion. ‘How accurate,’ she thought, having read a few volumes of ancient manuscripts depicting stories of gentlemen sleuths who came to these places to solve mysteries. She curtsied lightly and proceeded into the great entrance hall wreathed in great curving staircases. The host entered the hall and greeted her, gesturing into a dining room where a few more people, perhaps fifteen, were gathered around a great table long enough to seat twenty guests. Timidly, Leah sat at the next available seat next to an elderly man with white, wispy hair and a severely curved spine which left him hunched over his silverware.

Food arrived and was placed on the chargers before them, luxurious game meats and exotic vegetables which left Leah wanting as to how they were to be eaten. She observed the others around her and followed their leads, cutting into the food and relishing the taste like nothing she had experienced before. The food continued to appear, long after Leah thought they as reached their last course and she continued to indulge albeit with more restraint.

At last sitting back and looking down at her visibly distended stomach, Leah breathed a sigh of relief that she did not have to eat more out of obligation. She lapsed into a doze as she sat, passively listening to the hum of conversation until it became suddenly silent.

She woke instantly and looked around. All eyes were on her and several of the people nearby were beginning to approach her with unsavory intent. Leah jumped to her feet and knocked her chair backwards, trying to put distance between herself and the approaching people. The table had been cleared of all cutlery and dinnerware, leaving her defenseless and unarmed.

Desperate, Leah began to overturn chairs to slow the mob down until she came across an alcove which led to another room. Darting down it, she came out into an office with a large and ancient desk to one side. She began to rifle through drawers in hope of finding anything which could be used as a weapon, finally revealing a letter opener as she opened the last closed drawer. Tiny and awkward in her hand, she wielded it as one who had wielded similar blades in the past, and continued her flight through the rooms and corridors of the house with the homicidal mob always close at her heels.

Twice, she was forced to turn and fend off an attack, wounding those chasing her and leaving one lying on the floor with mortal lacerations to his face and neck. With an opportunity to fly and put distance between herself and the group, she took to her heels and ran further into the mansion. Caring little that she was now hopelessly lost in the labyrinth of the great house, she plunged deeper, taking turns at random and always watching for more formittable armament.

At last, a flagpole stood in one corner of a room and she took it up. The moth-eaten flag still hung from the end as she joined battle with the others.

Leah was very well trained. Dodging left and right, she dealt blows much more effective than the barbaric stabs attempted by her attackers. The gap in age certainly played a factor in the efficacy of her tactics, but she focused only on escaping with her life. The spear in her hand flashed through the air, stabbing out at one and slicing another across the abdomen. Stained in blood, the ancient flag held on to the end of the pole with its last strength as if proud of its final hurrah. Droplets flew from the flag and left behind great arcs on the walls as Leah whirled the pole around in every direction to fend off her dwindling attackers.

The last attacker fell at last and Leah stood ready, panting and surrounded by broken bodies as she still clutched her improvised spear. It was splintered and broken; her hands were cut and bleeding from the splinters which dug deep furrows into her flesh. The food came up, haunting her overindulgence and she buckled over.

As she knealt on the floor, she heaved and regurgitated most of the giant meal, from being bloated or from the stress, she did not know, but the result was the same regardless. Now that she had slowed down, she thought back on her invitation and cursed herself for falling for such an obvious trap. Feeling better, she stood and began the long process of finding a way to escape the mansion.