The next part was forming the runes. I had the piece of paper in front of me and tried to replicate the runes in my mind. I failed the first few times. Getting the lines right was tough. Helena had chosen a difficult spell.

Once I was satisfied, I powered the runes, without a target. Now it was Helena’s turn. Through our link she should be aware of my progress. I patiently waited while I held the spell. Then I felt a pull. She was doing something.

It was an interesting feeling, not being in control. And I started to understand the importance of trust some more. Helena could choose the target of the spell, for example. I was simply offering my part of the spell to her.

I was focusing hard on holding my spell, until it suddenly completed. Helena had finished her part.

My eyes widened as a blob of water formed right in front of us, then it burst. We were drenched in cold water.

“I, uh, I think I made a mistake.” Helena said.

“Oh no, the runes!” I exclaimed. The piece of paper in front of me was drenched.

“It’s just a copy.” Helena said. “But we might need another one, and some towels. I will be right back!”

While I waited, I contemplated my part. She had said that she had made a mistake, but I might have gotten my runes wrong as well. I looked at the wet piece of paper. The lines were now blurry. I tried to remember how they had looked in my mind. Maybe I got the centre part wrong?

Helena returned and handed me a towel, she also had a new piece of paper with the runes I needed.

“You had a backup prepared?” I asked, as I started drying myself.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“I had another copy, in case Skadi wanted to learn the spell too.” She replied.

My uniform was still wet but I decided there was no reason to change it. There was a good chance I would get drenched again.

“Do you have any idea how we can protect the paper? I don’t have those runes memorized yet.” I said.

“Hm. You could place it on the floor and protect it with ice, maybe? Form a protective box on top of it?" She suggested.

It was a good idea. I placed the paper on the floor, then raised four walls of ice around it. I carefully enclosed the box with more ice, making sure to use a bit more mana to prevent it from melting easily. I did not need any water dripping on it.

I stared at my construction. “Hm. The ice does distort the picture somewhat.”

“Let’s try again!” Helena suggested.

I nodded and she grabbed my hand. Our next effort created a bit of snow, this time slightly further away. The third one drenched us again, with half melted snow. Helena was breathing heavily now.

We took a small break and I retrieved the piece of paper from its box. I studied it some more. Maybe I made the centre rune too round?

We tried one more time. It was the best attempt yet. Helena managed to target an area farther away. The floor was frozen and covered with a bit of snow. It was a small area but it was something.

“Woohoo!” Helena cheered, then she stumbled.

I grabbed her shoulders to steady her. “Are you alright?” I asked.

“Just a bit woozy. I used a lot of mana. We need to work on our efficiency.” She said, then she sat down on the wet floor.

“Maybe we need a longer break. We should get some food.” I suggested.

“Sure, in a few minutes. I will just lie here for a bit.” Helena was now lying on her back.

I shook my head. “I know the water affinity makes us more resistant to cold but you should not sleep on a wet stone floor.”

“Well, you could hand me a towel.” She responded.

I grabbed the towels. “The towels are pretty wet too…”

Then I saw the vampiric cat walk over. We both watched as the undead feline stepped on Helena’s stomach, then she curled up.

“See, Nyx is concerned too and is sending you a blanket!” I said.

“Well, now I can’t get up and will have to remain here.” She replied, smugly.

I threw a wet towel in her face. She laughed.

Then I looked around to see what Nyx was doing. She had left Chariot and was inside a water puddle we had created with our magic practice. The draugr cat was with her. The draugr’s tail rose and it exhaled. A small amount of snow formed in front of it. Nyx started growing until she was as big as a tiger. Then she exhaled as well.

She was copying the draugr and creating more snow. I watched, fascinated. Then Nyx shrunk and jumped right into the pile. Soon the only visible part of her was the tip of her tail. I smiled. Nyx was clearly doing this for fun, but she was training in the process.