The thought that someone innocent getting hurt because of her makes Cassandra's gut twist. She was about to rush out of the room when the noise of something falling caught her attention. A small table with a red cloth covering it and sitting on top is a black with white band magician's Top Hat sitting on top of the table. A magician's black wand with a white tip was rolling on the floor toward her.

Picking up the wand, she can feel the energy coursing through the wand. A memory of Sarah reminded her of a lesson about wands increasing a caster power. The power of a spell is increased based upon the wand's wood type and the creator of the wand's skill. Tucking the wand into her belt at her waist, she then reaches out and snatches the hat and twirls it, and puts it on.

Smiling at the familiarity of the hat on her head, she then took it off to look it over and reach into the hat, checking to see if there were any pockets. She is shocked when her arm goes up to her elbow inside the Hat. She then pulled a large black cape out of the Hat with a red liner inside. A small scroll fell out of the cape and landed at her feet.

Picking it up and reading the scroll, "Cape of Transportation. It can be used three times a day. Hold up the cape and say, now you see me, now you don't. Toss the cape up into the air to conceal yourself and any other. Those behind the cloth will disappear and reappear within one hundred feet of you and at a location, you have seen before. Walls do not stop you." Snorting as she reads on, "That be handy, but not keen on the three times a day. Could have used you when I was doing magic tricks."

She spent two months learning that disappearing act on stage where the trap door would drop you into the area below the stage. Her fear of falling almost paralyzes and keeps her from performing the act. Even knowing that there was a net to catch her fall. It took her a long time to master her fear and the skill to hide the fact she went through a trapdoor. It took even longer to get out of the net and run to a ladder to climb. Then, hide among the crowd in the darkened stadium before a spotlight popped on her to end the act. Now, she has her cape that, when worn, almost reaches her ankles. It is black with a red lining inside with hidden pockets.

All she has to do is say, "Now you see me, now you don't." She mutters aloud.

She watches in shock as the cape leaps from her hands. Pauses in the air, hiding her as if waiting for her to do something. Looking around her in her mind at the room, she can see everything turn green or red. The area under the chairs and desk is red. But the space on top of the desk and chair is green. She notices that she can see through the wall and door into the foyer and beyond that into the Sitting Room and have a green and red area. It took her a moment to realize that the red is areas she can not go but the green she can! Looking back at the chair behind the desk. She focuses her eyes upon the seat of the chair and whispers, "there." In a blink of an eye, she found herself sitting in the chair, watching her cape fall to the floor and disappear only to reappear on her back.

She got out of the chair, walked back over to the table, saw the scroll on the floor, and picked up the scroll she dropped when she did the disappearing act. Opening the scroll and reading the rest of the scroll. "Wearing the top Hat and cape will increase your magic defenses and strengthen your clothing to that of hard leather. The Hat can be used five times a day to capture arrows or thrown objects. It can store a limited number of items that must fit the width of the Hat. Larger items can be cast into the Hat using the cape to cover it.

By saying 'now you see it, now you don't,' will send the item into the hat, retrieving the item. Lay the cape on top of a table or floor and say, 'That which is lost is now found!'

Taking the Hat off and reaching inside, an image pop in her mind, doves of communication, butterflies of distraction, a Rope of climbing, Cards of Chance, and Ring of King Leo with a scroll attached.

Pulling her hand out of the Hat, the imagery disappears. Reaching back into the Hat, she reaches for the ring, and it appears in her hand as she pulls it out with the scroll dangling from the ring.

The ring is made of wood, maybe oak, not softwood like pine, and the ring is polished to enhance the look of the wooden ring to make it stand out. Carve into the ring is the words, King Leo. Untying the ring, she slips it on as she unravels the scroll.

"You have found the Ring of Puppetry that allows a Puppeteer to control a puppet that they or another created. Slipping on the ring and saying the puppet's name to summon it. The ring act like the control stick of a puppet. Just think of the action you wish the puppet to perform. Saying the puppet's name and saying, 'go home, and the puppet will return to the ring.

Summoning a puppet can be taxing upon a summoner body. Until the puppeteer can only grow in strength with practice and combat will allow a puppeteer to command more than one puppet in the future. Enjoy, and if you have questions, check the Magic House Grimoire.

Setting the scrolls on the table, she looks down at the ring and fingers it as she turns it around upon her finger. Seeing King Leo spell on the ring.

"King Leo," she mutters. She panicked as the ring began to glow. She tries to take the ring off, but it refuses to budge. A light shot out of the ring, and a glowing form began to appear in front of her. King Leo steps out to the light and looks right, then left, and then at the woman before her as he kneels on one knee and bows his head.

"King Leo?" she said in surprise. King Leo was the first puppet given to her by an old carver. He has been one of her acts in her puppet shows. Although he is not her first puppet, he is one of her favorites. King Leo is based upon Punch and Judy puppet shows. She had tried many times to make a Judy for her King Leo to have them stolen or become destroyed. King Leo stands about two feet high, made of carved wood from head to foot. He wears a crown with fake gems and is painted in gold with a long nose and pointed chin with a thin straight mustache, much like the old villains that play in the old black and whites.

The red and gold clothing that she made for him made him look like a regal king, and the gold scepter with fake gems only seemed authentic. Her eye widens as it seems the gold crown and scepter may be real gold.

"King Leo?" it parrots back at her with its head tilted to one side. Information floods her mind on how to use and command a puppet using the rings. She understood that King Leo could be ordered to help her in combat. He can also act to any threats that she may encounter in the future.

Hearing a grandfather clock in the building chiming that it is fifteen after the hour. She shook herself out of her thoughts and left the room, stopping long enough to command the puppet to follow. She stares briefly at the sitting room before shaking her head, deciding not to get the elf into a battle after recovering from the last one. She doesn't need to feel any more guilty about causing someone else to suffer.

Putting the key into the lock and turning it until a slight click noise let her know the door is unlocked. She opens the door by a crack to see if anyone is outside the door. Standing in front of her with his back to her. Is a grumbling young man as he bounces on the balls of his feet while holding a crossbow in his hand. On his cloth belt is a dagger that appears to be a foot-long blade. Biting her lip, she debated on using her magic arrow to attack the young man from behind and possibly kill the boy.

Memories of the same boy shooting a bolt into Clare's back. Filled her with anger. She is pushed aside as the door opens a foot more, and King Leo leaps through the opening and takes two steps before jumping into the air with his scepter raised.

King Leo's wooden feet must have made a slight noise on the ground to warn the person that there was someone behind him. Turning around and seeing a small child leaping at him. Force him to step back a few paces into the alleyway when the child landed in front of him and brought up his stick between his legs.

The next thing boy knows, he is crying out in pain as his nether regions hurt like he had been kicked by a mule. Falling to his knees, his forehead hits the ground as tears pour from his eyes. Between the pain below and the stars, he can see in his eyes. He can see a form of a child stepping up to him with a wicked grin. The last thought before the stick slammed into his head and blackness overtook him was. 'When did a kid have a mustache?'

Cassandra gasped in shock at how fast her puppet took out a young man. She rushed forward to see if the man was breathing, signing in relief that he was alive, but he would be out for a while. King Leo took the dagger and a pouch at his waist and handed it to her. She tosses them both into the Hat. Looking over the crossbow and realizing it is too big to fit through the opening. She covered the crossbow and six bolts with her cape and spoke the words making them disappear. Checking her hat, she saw both items inside. Signing in relief that it works.

Looking back at the door, she can no longer see her door but the back door of Jill's Rug. Checking her neck and signed in relief when she felt the key to the door was still on the chain. She rushes back to the man on the ground and uses his handmade cloth belt and hogtied him.

Cassandra has been escaping ropes and chains for the last fifteen years. Knowing how to tie someone up is the easy part. Getting out is a whole different story. Unless the boy is an escape artist, it will be a long while before he can get out of the ropes. Moving over to the back door and summoning King Leo over to her side. He was using his scepter to move some trash around on the ground. She opens the door and sneaks into the backroom of the shop. Pausing as she Heard the loud voice of a man from the other room and a loud smacking noise.

"Whar is dat girl! That came in har a while ago, from yar back door. I darn't care if I have to carve yar core out or hers! But I will leave hare with one of yar core fore sure!" A large man held a young girl's face by her chin as he smacked the girl again on the face. She can see bruising and swelling starting to appear on the girl's face from the abuse she has been taking. Cassandra could not see everything that was going on because a hideous rug was blocking part of her view.

But the blow to the girl's face brought back memories of her ex-husband's abuse. The memories flooded into her heart as anger began to boil her blood, and her hand somehow already pulled the wand out without realizing it. It was gathering power as if the anger rose from her soul was seeking to appease her heart from all the abuse she ever took from her ex. She promised herself she would never stand by as a woman or child. Even a man becomes abused by small-minded, egotistical jackasses that bully the weak. The power continues to rise in her hand. As another figure rush past her with his scepter raised over his head. The sound of a clip and clogging sound could be heard as King Leo's feet touched the floor with a twisted look of anger on his face.

Cassandra pointing the wand at the man, she invokes the spell.