For six months, Rafal had been missing, and Rhian had done everything in his power to search the Woods far and wide for his brother. Aladdin had indirectly caused a rift between them, along with the boy's fairy tale that had ended in the Evil twin's humiliation. As insufferable as Rafal could be at times, Rhian missed his only brother and wished for his return. At the same time, he dreaded Rafal's reaction, as he'd ordered the building of a new school without his twin's permission—a glittering, glass castle that nobody but Rhian appreciated.
One morning, while Rhian was eating breakfast in the new stained-glass study, a short-haired, solid-white cat with piercing green eyes climbed in through the window and leaped onto the floor. Rhian gasped, jumping out of his chair.
"Oh, my!" he said, and chuckled, his nerves settling. "What an unexpected visitor." He approached the cat. "Such a pretty kitty. Where did you come from?"
The cat glared at him.
"One laugh out of you and I will claw your eyes out," it said, sounding just like Rafal.
Rafal?
"Rafal!" Rhian said. "Is that really you?"
"Unfortunately," he said. "I was turned into a cat, and I can't break the spell."
"Who did this to you?"
"The Kingdom Council."
"Why?"
"For attempting to find the answers to controlling the Storian."
Rhian gasped.
"The Pen that chose us to protect it, the Pen that keeps our world alive?" he said. "Rafal, how could you?"
"You mean the Pen that wants to do away with Evil?" Rafal snapped. "Seeing as how you've had an entirely new school built during my absence, one that is garishly reflective of Good, you would have to be a perfect idiot to pretend you don't know the answer."
Rhian bristled, and he crossed his arms. "Well, I suppose there's an underlying reason I had a new school built, after all, considering your foiled plans to take over the Woods instead of accepting Good's winning streak."
Rafal's eyes narrowed, his slit pupils like knives. Without a word, he slunk past Rhian and stopped at the door.
"Open this for me," he demanded.
"Where are you going?" Rhian asked.
"To explore."
Rhian shrugged and obliged.
🐾🐾🐾
Rafal ensured that the only person aware of his new form besides Rhian was his Evil dean. The school's isolation played in his favor, keeping everyone within its gates except the School Masters ignorant to the Woods' current going-ons. Rafal told Humburg that being human was growing burdensome after a hundred years, and that he simply preferred to be a cat. The next time they met in secret to discuss grand plans for the Nevers, the lower half of Humburg's face was covered with black fabric.
Rafal eyed him, perched on a stool in one of the supply closets. "Why are you wearing a mask?"
"I-I'm allergic t-to cats, Master R-Rafal," the dean said, trembling.
"Well, pay attention," Rafal said.
He hopped off the stool and onto his large, splayed-out blueprint without knocking over any intricately set-up toy soldiers. One by one, he picked some of the figurines up in his mouth and moved them around, expanding on the plans. Humburg suppressed a snort, his eyes crinkling as he shook.
Rafal scowled.
"M-my apologies, s-sir," the dean said. "I think I-I need to—p-please excuse me."
He turned around and burst out laughing, doubling over and slapping his knees. Rafal waited, burning holes into his hunched back until Humburg faced him again.
"My apologies once more, Master Rafal," Humburg breathed, wiping his eyes. "That was a terrible sneeze."
Rafal continued scowling, and Humburg burst with laughter again. If the Kingdom Council hadn't revoked most of his magic, he would've turned his fatuous dean into a mouse and had him for dinner.
🐾🐾🐾
Rhian couldn't shake the suspicion that his Evil twin hadn't learned his lesson and was plotting against him. Rafal had been keeping a low profile since his return. Rhian had sworn to tell no one of his punishment, and they'd resumed their immortal life together as if those six months had been a dream. Except now Rafal was a cat, and Rhian had to help feed him and clean out his litter box, a responsibility that felt more like a punishment of his own. Rafal almost seemed to be delighting in the inconveniences that he caused Rhian, such as "accidentally" knocking things off shelves, shedding all over his bed, and jumping up onto the table and soiling Rhian's half with his filthy paws.
"Rafal!" Rhian said. "You know the rules: wash your paws before eating!"
"My paws are perfectly clean," Rafal said. "I'm a cat. Cleaner than you."
"You lick yourself!" Rhian said. "There's nothing 'clean' about you, now get down!"
Rafal hissed.
"Fine," Rhian said. "We'll do this the hard way."
He conjured a spray bottle and aimed it at his Evil twin. Instantly, Rafal shrieked and sprang into the air. He leaped off the table and sprinted for the bed chamber and disappeared between the curtains.
Rhian sighed. He cleaned the table before sitting down to eat. He didn't wait for Rafal, but he expected him to leave the bed chamber at some point during supper and continue aggravating him. He never did.
With a simple spell, Rhian vanished the used dinnerware back to the school's kitchen and checked the bed chamber.
"Rafal?" he said, looking around. "Are you all right?"
Silence.
Rhian sat down on his bed.
"Please, come out," he said. "I'm sorry."
A paw swiped at his ankle, causing Rhian to scream and stumble and land on his rump. The Good School Master scolded the white cat that was peeking out from under the bed, little teeth bared in laughter.
Rhian had to do something about his Evil-twin-turned-cat.
🐾🐾🐾
"Let me out of here!"
Rafal attempted to squeeze through the golden bars of his oversized birdcage to no avail. Rhian smiled.
"I'll let you out," the Good brother said, "but first, you need to learn some manners."
Rafal glared daggers at him. "Bond of blood or not, you will pay for this if you don't let me out immediately."
Rhian ignored him, summoning his gold fingerglow, and a large, wooden box sprouting a crystal cluster manifested before Rafal's birdcage.
Rafal raised a brow at his reflection in its window.
"What the hell is this?" he asked.
"A new invention in Woodswide telecommunications," Rhian said.
Rafal studied the odd contraption. The window lit up and faded to a scene. A white cat with sparkling blue eyes and a long, well-maintained coat was sitting on an upholstered chair, her gold, diamond-studded collar catching the light.
"I'll leave you two alone," Rhian said, and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Rafal's eyes darted between the other cat and his absent brother. He pawed frantically at the cage.
"Rhian!" he shouted. "Get back here, I'm serious!"
The white cat in the strange box smiled.
"Bonjour, mon ami!" she said with a heavy accent. "Welcome to Madame Duchess's Lessons for the Aristocat. I am your host, Madame Duchess, and I will be teaching you how to behave like a true gentleman!"
Rafal screamed.
"Oh, no, no, no, no!" Madame Duchess said, shaking her head. "Lesson One: Controlling Your Voice. An aristocat never raises their voice!"
Rafal screamed louder.
He cursed the cat in the box. He cursed Rhian. He cursed himself and his Ever-like ability to sleep through anything. If he weren't such a heavy sleeper, unlike his brother, Rafal would've had caught Rhian before he'd had the chance to trap him in a birdcage. All he could think about were the ways he'd retaliate while Madame Duchess corrected and re-lectured him like a mind-controlled henchman, fueling his rage.
Rafal had no magic that could break him out of the birdcage, which had been magically locked. Years of having relied on sorcery to solve most of his problems had left him coddled and unprepared. If he wanted to escape this relentlessly tedious predicament, he had no choice but to pretend he was learning how to be a gentleman.
It worked, but the number of lessons only seemed to increase.
"Lesson Two Hundred and Thirty-Two," Madame Duchess said, standing on a long table lined with different bowls of fish eggs, "Choosing the Best Caviar Dish to Match Your Ballroom Theme."
Rafal groan-meowed. "Please... Make it stop... "
Madame Duchess sat down and clapped her paws together.
"Very good, Monsieur Mistral!" she said. "You are learning manners!"
Rafal sobbed.
🐾🐾🐾
For a few weeks, Rafal seemed to have been a changed man—or, more accurately, cat. He didn't pester, trick, or demand anything from his brother aside from requesting to be let out, and he said "please" and "thank you" without struggle. At first, Rhian savored the peace and quiet, and for the first time in a hundred years, he was finally able to sleep through the night and wake up refreshed. But a part of him missed the old Rafal. A part of him missed those Evil antics that had kept him on his toes. Rhian was afraid that the punishment he'd given Rafal had been too harsh, and that he'd possibly crossed the line into Evil.
Then, one day, the construction of an opposing castle commenced.
A new school for Evil.
Rafal refused to answer Rhian's questions, dodging them by changing the subject with nerve-grating politeness. He hadn't changed at all, Rhian realized. He'd been faking it the whole time!
And, this time, Rhian couldn't do what Good did and defend by trapping his brother again, as Rafal hadn't attacked him in any way. He could only watch Rafal's ominous vision come to life, a black, gleaming castle with jagged spires and twisting vines. It was a clear message to Good, a warning: Evil's work was far from done.
Following the castle's completion, the Nevers moved into their new school, but the project wasn't finished. Man-wolves dug up the ground between the castles, and stymphs carried water from the Savage Sea and dumped it in, creating a lake. Rhian almost couldn't believe the lengths that his brother was going to ensure Evil's victory. It was no wonder the Storian favored Good. Rafal just couldn't accept that Evil was the loser.
Rafal had gone even further when Rhian found him missing one morning—along with the Storian.
Half-dressed, Rhian hurried outside, jumped into the lake, and swam to the new castle. He didn't bother casting a spell to dry himself as he pushed through the doors and dripped along the polished, black marble floor in search of his Evil twin. The school boasted high-vaulted ceilings, lancet windows, and obsidian chandeliers. The foyer had four spiraling staircases, but only three were named after Evil's most distinguishing traits. Rhian climbed the nameless one, having a hunch that it would lead to his brother.
The floor was a narrow corridor, lit up by gargoyle head sconces that held torches in their mouths. Rhian approached the single door at the end, and halfway upon reaching it, the door opened.
He stopped.
Dean Humburg stepped out and closed the door behind him. He raised an eyebrow at Rhian.
"Do you have an appointment?" he asked, as if Rhian weren't a School Master.
"An appointment?" Rhian said. "I'm here to have a word with my brother!"
"Did you schedule an appointment?" Dean Humburg asked. "Master Rafal is quite busy. He can make no exceptions for anyone, including family."
Rhian's jaw dropped, then he steeled himself, storming ahead. Humburg's eyes bulged, and he stepped aside.
Rhian grabbed the doorknob and forced his way into Rafal's office.
The study was twice the size of Good's, but it lacked warmth and light, resembling a vampire's lair with its filigree wallpaper, wainscoting, and ornately carved, black furniture. The room had a single lancet window, relying on red candles burning in obsidian chandeliers to provide sufficient illumination. Despite the clearly Evil decor, Rhian was so entranced by his surroundings that he hadn't registered the nearby sound of scrawling.
The Storian was dancing across an open storybook upon a stone table. Rhian approached it, catching glimpses of Evil's victories in the dozen bookshelves as he passed, the titles seeming to glow. Rafal had moved them from the Good castle too.
"It's writing a new tale," came Rafal's voice.
Rhian halted and spun around. The white cat was sitting on the edge of his desk, green eyes fixed on his brother.
"This could be the one that turns the tides," Rafal said. "Wouldn't it be nice to be equal again, brother?"
Rhian simmered, advancing toward the cat.
"You think that building your own castle is going to help you win?" Rhian said. "And by taking the Storian from its rightful home?"
"It started writing again, didn't it?" Rafal said, cool and composed. "Perhaps that should tell you where it currently feels at home."
Rhian bit back his anger. The nerve of his twin. He was exactly where he belonged, in his own school for Evil, and the Storian, which had been siding with Good for the past several tales, would be sure to remind him of that.
"You know, maybe we do need separate schools," Rhian said. "Good with Good, Evil with Evil. I suppose it is time for a change."
Rhian turned on his heel and started toward the door.
"By the way," Rafal said, pausing him for a moment, "I'm also having a theater built."
Rhian looked at him. "A theater?"
"Yes," Rafal said. "The Theater of Tales. Its purpose is to cultivate potential, to identify the Evers and Nevers most worthy of their own fairy tales. Call it a Circus of Talents, if you will. My students are prepared. Are yours?"
Rhian glowered. He couldn't say no.
🐾🐾🐾
The problem with pitting Evers and Nevers against each other was that Nevers had natural magical talents. Evers did not. And Rhian had two weeks to find what would help his students win. He wouldn't be getting another good night's sleep for a long time, not unless Good, once again, triumphed.
Good has to win, Rhian thought, pacing his glass study at night. There was no way the Storian would allow Evil to shine like this. Rafal was acting out of revenge, out of ego. The Pen would be sure to teach him a lesson in hubris.
But what if Evil could win? What if this time were different?
Good couldn't be complacent.
Rhian thought about what his brother had said, about being equal again.
If they were to be truly equal, Good and Evil in perfect balance, there was only one thing Rhian could do: unlock the Evers' fingerglows and teach them how to use magic. It wasn't cheating if the Evers were already disadvantaged.
As Rhian took over a class in the courtyard, preparing his students to find their inner talents, he reminded them that whatever magic they performed, it couldn't be offensive. "Evil attacks, Good defends" was the golden rule of their world, and so Evers learned to turn Evil into Good.
The students struggled at first, some failing to so much as light their fingerglows, but with enough support, they mastered their first spells by the end of class. Kyma summoned a rainbow out of a storm while Rufius turned bats and wasps into enchanted gingerbread friends. Hephaestus caused the sky to rain daggers that transformed into flowers halfway down, and Aladdin shot his fingerglow at one flower, turning it entirely yellow-gold, the change spreading to the rest in a sparkling sweep. Students looked on in awe as gold, glittering flowers showered them.
The scene brought tears to Rhian's eyes.
On the night of the Circus of Talents, a bridge had been built between the castles, leading from the Good school to Evil's Theater of Tales. It was oddly thoughtful of Rafal to not have forced Rhian and his students to swim across the lake. The Good School Master watched for hidden traps as he led the Evers to a fate that he tried to believe in. He kept reminding himself that whatever tricks the Nevers had up their sleeves, the Evers would outsmart and outshine them. In the end, Good always won.
The theater was separated between Good and Evil. Nevers filled black onyx pews, glaring at Evers as they took their pink-and-blue glass seats, some glaring back, others ignoring. Above each side was a massive chandelier that was burning with candles, one of wrought iron and the other of crystal. The stage's closed curtains featured a significant emblem, a pair of opposing swans, solid black and solid white, split in the middle.
Swans? Rhian thought. I'm surprised Rafal didn't choose cats.
He chuckled to himself. Then Rafal spoke, a disembodied voice that seemed to have no source like an unseen, unbeatable enemy.
Rafal covered what he'd told Rhian about the Circus of Talents, but he added that the winning team would have the last remaining candle burning, and the winners would have the right to host the Circus at their own school next year.
Rhian's heart was climbing into his throat, temples prickling with sweat. He didn't look at his students.
The swans pulled away from each other as the curtains parted and spotlights flooded the stage, and the Circus began.
The Nevers went first. Fire-breathing, growing multiple heads, turning into man-wolves—it all seemed flashy in the beginning, but the demonstrations all pieced together in the grand finale. The Nevers weren't trying to simply show off, nor use their talents like weapons against Good, but to make the importance of their side known, that Evil could not exist without Good and Good could not exist without Evil. The act ended with a Never summoning a swan that changed from white to black and black to white, sweeping the theater before returning to its summoner's chest.
Good's chandelier was down to one burning candle.
Rhian's mouth went dry. He swallowed, turning to his Evers. Their faces reflected uncertainty and fear.
Then, Kyma looked at him with a small, hopeful smile. The girl who had seen the Good in Aladdin despite his Evil habits, the boy that Rhian had helped give a chance.
In the end, Good always won.
It wasn't that Good could exist without Evil. It was that Good had love, and love—true love—could light the darkest of hearts.
The Evers appeared to sense the change in their School Master, looking to him, their leader. Rhian nodded with a bold reassurance, and they all nodded back with equal certainty, finally understanding why they were really here.
At first, the Nevers were unresponsive to the Evers' acts. They laughed and booed, especially at poor Rufius's gingerbread transformations. But the Evers continued, focused and strong, and the Nevers quieted down. The grand finale followed Hephaestus and Aladdin, gold flowers raining down on the Nevers instead of silver daggers, as if symbolizing Good's unconditional forgiveness.
Evers applauded and cheered while Nevers stared in bewilderment. Hephaestus and Aladdin bowed together and returned to their seats. The Nevers' chandelier was also down to one burning candle.
"We seem to have a tie," Rafal's voice came, echoing from everywhere, commanding everyone's attention. "The irony. Good and Evil in perfect balance. Perhaps our Evers have not grown so vain and complacent, after all. But there can be only one winning team tonight."
Nevers shouted in agreement and stomped their feet. Rhian's heart pounded.
"There is only one way to settle this," Rafal said.
The curtains drew closed, and a moment later, they retracted, revealing the white, green-eyed cat that was Rafal, sitting on the Nevers' side of the stage. Rather than face his confused students, he was facing Good, his gaze cutting through his twin. Rafal spoke, but his mouth didn't move, his voice, once again, pervading the theater:
"A Circus of Talents between two brothers."
🐾🐾🐾
Rafal waited for his brother to stand and hide behind the shield of Good by condemning his challenge, or worse, expose him as having been turned into a cat by the Council. Such cowardly decisions weren't below Rhian, but he would lose if he didn't follow the rules and represent Good's best talent.
Rhian stood, and he strode down the aisle in silence and took his opposite place on the stage. He locked eyes with Rafal, a hardness in his expression.
"Good first," Rafal said, unblinking.
The theater was near-silent, all eyes on the Good School Master.
Rhian lit his fingerglow, and his form grew smaller and fluffier until he, too, was a cat—a gold-and-white feline with ocean-blue eyes.
Rafal wanted to laugh, but didn't.
Rhian slunk toward him, and then he diverted, leaping off the stage. The Nevers in the front row recoiled as the cat neared them. He snatched a gold flower off the floor and jumped back onto the stage, and he trotted toward Rafal, carrying the flower in his mouth. He stopped inches before his Evil twin, dropped it, and nudged it forward with his nose.
Rafal glanced down at the flower. What was Rhian thinking? He couldn't be serious.
The gold-and-white cat trilled as he rubbed his head, along with the side of his body, against Rafal, who froze at the contact. While he worked around his Evil twin, nuzzling and purring, Rafal snapped out of his shock and pulled away, but Rhian persisted.
Quit it, you fool! Rafal wanted to say, trying to avoid being smothered with Rhian's bizarre and embarrassing display of affection.
Stifled laughter rose among the Evers. Rafal's blood ran hot.
He hissed and swatted at Rhian, causing his twin to jolt back, and the Evers gasped. Rafal flattened his ears and raised his back, growling, warning the other cat.
Rhian's eyes weakened with hurt, a sight that managed to sting Rafal in the heart. The golden cat sat down and meowed softly, head bowed, sad and rejected.
Rafal snuck a glance at the wrought-iron chandelier above the Nevers' benches. The last candle's flame was withering.
No.
Rafal had to act now. He had to seize Evil's victory.
He looked at his twin. His brother. His blood.
Rafal couldn't give in. This was one of Rhian's tricks. Another victory for Good would only serve to further inflate his brother's ego. He cared about winning just as much as Rafal did.
But did he, really?
Rhian was walking away, leaving the stage without looking back. Forfeiting.
Rafal should have claimed victory. He should have done what Evil would have done and snuffed out Good's last candle. Without his twin, his other half, all he had was an emptiness.
He pursued Rhian across the stage, meowing for his attention, and the golden cat paused and looked over at Rafal.
Rafal hesitated as Rhian turned around, the cats holding each other's gazes.
Rafal glanced at the last burning candle in the Nevers' chandelier again. He swallowed, and he pushed himself forward and brushed against Rhian.
The golden cat hesitated, and then he warmed into the contact and nuzzled Rafal, brushing against him too.
Evers awwed. Nevers booed.
Half of the theater illuminated with candles in the crystal chandelier, and the Evers jumped from their seats and shouted in celebration. The other side was cast in darkness, reflecting the Nevers' moods.
Rafal brushed past Rhian, leaving the golden cat behind and confused as he vanished into the shadows, his own darkness swelling within his feline form.