"Well done, Mansha!" exclaims M'Trika clasping my forearm in a sisterly fashion. "But how did you know to stand up to Icy like that?"
"Yes, how?" asks Mieze with her eyes full of wonder and her ears canted to catch every word. "I was expecting see you totally thrashed. Weren't you afraid?"
"Yes, I was afraid but I have seen this before on Terra in a country called Africa," I explain to her and the other Witches. "There is a tribe of people there where the men never take wives from their own tribe but always from one of the five neighbouring tribes. The men have to be fluent in five very different languages because they never know from which tribe their future wives may come."
"That's interesting," remarks M'Trika as other Witches crowded around to listen. "These tribes must be very small."
"Yes," I continue, "and this has to be done so the bloodlines don't go bad. But anyway, no matter from which tribe a man takes his wife, the women of his tribe always arrange for the newcomer to be challenged. Most often it is the biggest, meanest woman in the tribe like the tribal queen's bodyguard who challenges her. So, during the challenge, the other women of the tribe watch the newcomer's reactions and judge her accordingly. If she backs down or is fearful then her status in the tribe diminishes, however, if she stands up to the challenge her status increases. In one case, I saw a petite woman get knock down five times by the queen's bodyguard but even though she was bruised and bleeding she got back up on her feet and faced her challenger again and again and again. Finally, the queen stepped in and broke it up but the newcomer's bravery earned her a place beside the queen herself. Had she not stood up to the challenge, the women of the tribe would see her as weak. She would have been bullied by all the other women and forced to do all the most disagreeable tasks for the whole tribe."
"Your little newcomer sounds very brave as you are," breaks in one of the Witches. "And this is how you knew to stand up to Icy?"
"Yes, exactly," I reply to her.
There is a pause and as if inspired by my account to speak, Vulpa, a shy, petite Fox-morph Witch with a bushy tail suddenly says, "Did anyone notice Icy's aura as she left?"
"No," say all the Witches.
"What did you see, Vulpa?" asks M'Trika.
"Well," says Vulpa shyly but excitedly, "her main aura is still white and ice-blue but its edge is no longer jet - it's crimson!"
"Icy's edge has gone crimson!" goes the word throughout the cafeteria.
"Crimson?" ask other voices.
"Yes," replies yet another Witch voice. "Vulpa saw it as she left with Darcy and Stormy."
"I can't believe this of Icy," says someone standing behind me, "but if Vulpa says so it must be so. She's our best reader of aurae."
"Are you sure of this, Vulpa?" asks M'Trika seriously. "You should have spoken up sooner."
"Yes, Lady M'Trika," replies Vulpa, turning shy once again. "Icy can lie all she wants but her aura speaks only the truth. And yes again, I'm sure of it."
"What is Vulpa so sure of?" I ask M'Trika.
"Vulpa says that Icy's aura shows that she has fallen in love," replies M'Trika.
"Well, it's about time someone began to thaw that ice block in Icy's chest she dares to call a heart," states the silver-furred, yellow-eyed Lupa. "I thought the day would never come."
Everyone seems excited about the news except for Matchka who looks up at Gareth with sad, wistful eyes. She reaches into a pouch on her belt and hands him three pieces of what looks like chocolate candy.
"Here," she says to him with a catch in her voice, "you are going to need this tonight."
"What is this for?" asks Gareth of Matchka puzzled.
"It is something to help you stay awake tonight and to give you strength and stamina," whispers Matchka softly and caresses his arm with her furry hand-paw as Vulpa regards her curiously and then suddenly puts a hand-paw to her mouth.
"Why would I want to stay awake tonight?" asks Gareth, scratching his head.
"Oh, come on, Gareth!" laughs Lupa. "For someone who has just swept Icy off her feet and seems to know so much about Witches, you are acting pretty clueless," and all the Witches around the table begin to blush and giggle and Gareth's cheeks flush red too. "You can expect a visit from Icy to your chamber tonight."
"But I was locked in my chamber last night," protests Gareth. "How's she to get in?"
"Oh, locked doors don't stop Icy," laughs Lupa with a bright glint in her yellow eyes.
"You will want food and Icy will be expecting to be served her favourite beverage, Gareth," says Matchka. "I'll go fetch it from the kitchen for you."
"What is Icy's favourite beverage?" I ask Matchka as she gets up from the table.
"Ice wine," Matchka replies as she heads off.
Meanwhile, while Matchka is gone to complete her task, Vulpa and M'Trika are whispering together. M'Trika's head is shaking a constant "No" during the whispering while Vulpa's keeps nodding "Yes". Finally, M'Trika smacks her forehead with her hand and heaves a long sigh.