Chapter 12 : Ice Fire And Plasma Fire

Shego is awoken the next morning by the sounds of screaming followed closely by the crashing and splintering sounds of something being smashed.

"Ouch!" exclaims Shego. "That sounded expensive."

Shego follows the noise and enters what the Witches call their quiet and meditation room to find The Trix there shouting furiously at each other while in one corner are the ruins of a glass-topped table and several china figurines.

"It has escaped us!" rages Icy at her two sisters. "One of you must have been careless with her crystal," Icy accuses them.

"It wasn't I," says Stormy defensively, her head bowed in fright under Icy's withering anger.

"I was super careful too," says Darcy who, although upset, is not cowering in fear as is Stormy. "Something else must have allowed it to escape."

"What's the matter?" asks Shego, stepping deeper into the room. "And what has escaped?"

"The Dragon Fire, obviously," snaps Icy at Shego. "What did you think?"

"That's too bad," says Shego to Icy – not out of sympathy for Icy's loss but rather for the repercussions that will follow. "I hope that Bloom and the Winx are prepared for a battle," she thinks. "Icy is going to be out for their blood."

"If you keep losing the Dragon Fire then perhaps it wasn't yours to have in the first place," Shego suggests to Icy.

"What?!" screams Icy, Shego's remark having hit home on a raw nerve. "You should keep your mouth shut concerning matters of which you are ignorant. I did the research. I did the training. The Dragon Fire belongs to my lineage and to me."

Then, suddenly changing the focus of her anger from her sisters to Shego, Icy screams at her, "You knew about this, didn't you? You set me up to believe that I had taken the Dragon Fire from Bloom when you knew all along that it would escape me."

"Just a minute here, sister," drones Shego at Icy, allowing her anger to surface. "I've had my fill of your insults, innuendo and attempts to manipulate me for the past two days but now when you attack my honour as well, that is grounds for a fight," and powers up both her hands with green plasma fire. "I was the one who arranged with Tecna to have Bloom come to you and to surrender the Dragon Fire to you. Now, I saw to it that you got it but I will not take the blame if you are unable to hold onto it. Now, lady, do I hear an apology from you and a change of attitude or do we settle this outside?" and waves a plasma lit fist inches from Icy's nose.

Icy would very much like to "settle it outside" but, after a quick assessment of her situation, she realizes that she is set up to be the vanquished if she accepts this challenge. Unlike the confrontation between Shego and Stormy, Shego has issued her a Witch-on-Witch challenge for which the unspoken rule is no other Witch gets involved or interferes. On the contrary, Darcy and Stormy would be there to insure that, once accepted, the fight goes on until one clearly vanquishes the other or there is a mutual agreement between combatants that the fight has reached a stalemate – the latter not being an option among Witches. Icy also realizes that a close quarters battle where opponents are huffing and snorting into each other's faces is not her kind of fight but one that stacks all the odds in Shego's favour. Shego has the speed and strength of the much feared Cat-Witch guards – she bested Stormy who, after all, is the fastest and most agile among them, so, what are her chances of beating that kind of speed? Shego's strength – she could use it to snap her arms with ease or crush her hands into pulp – either of which would end her career as a Witch. Finally, there is Shego's green plasma fire. Icy has no counter-spells that she knows of that are effective against it. Dragon fire "yes" but plasma fire is an entirely different matter.

With plasma fire burning before her eyes and despite the bitter taste in her mouth and the deep feelings of humiliation, all her instincts tell Icy to back down. "I guess I was a bit hasty," Icy tells Shego. "I apologise."

"Apology accepted," Shego replies, even knowing that Icy's words are hollow for the smouldering ice-blue fire in Icy's eyes tell Shego that Icy's true heart's thoughts are contrary to what she has said.

Shego extinguishes her fire then looks at Icy almost sadly. "I know that sooner rather than later I will have to fight you, Icy," thinks Shego. "It is something I really rather not. Why are you forcing my hand, My Silver-Haired Beauty?"