"If you remain on this mountain you will die of hypothermia," the spectral voice intoned again.

"Gah!" Ellie shouted, flinging her claws up as she stomped in little circles through the powdery snow. "Can you shut that damn thing [i]up[/i] already?"

Maya shivered—even through her thick jacket she was getting cold, and she didn't want to think about how freezing her best friend was, wearing nothing but her werewolf form's natural coat. "That wouldn't be smart. We got [i]into[/i] this trouble by not having it on."

"We got [i]into[/i] this trouble because you memorized the wrong damn spell! I told you I wanted a [i]warming[/i] evocation—"

"I just went with what you said in the e-mail," Maya said defensively. "Don't blame me for typos."

"Then I'm gonna blame you for not casting that thing until [i]after[/i] my backpack sailed over the cliff! Boy, sure would have been nice to see [i]that[/i] coming!"

"The incoming wildstorm has awakened vengeful earth elementals," the voice intoned. "Descending the mountain to retrieve the pack will cause them to trigger a deadly avalanche."

"Do you have any idea how exhausting this is?" Maya snapped. "It's a master-level divination! I had to borrow Jared's doctoral references for some of the runic kerning! I figured you just wanted it for, y'know, [i]emergencies.[/i]"

"We got into this trouble by not having it on," Ellie said, claws making little air-quotes.

Maya crossed her arms and stared at the hazy lights of the city. Less than five miles away, and it might as well have been halfway around the world. "Coulda, shoulda, woulda. How about we focus on getting out of here alive—like, set up the tent and figure out how to ride this out—and have this argument back at the Academy?"

"The tent construction is insufficient to withstand tonight's gale-force winds," the voice said.

Ellie snarled gutturally—then paused, crouched, and began digging.

"The weight of the precipitation added by tonight's storm will collapse the snow cave," the voice said.

Ellie kicked at the snow with a curse. "Seriously, it's just a one-letter difference. Can't you, I don't know, just fix the rune or something?"

"That is [i]so[/i] far from the way magic works it's not even funny." Maya sighed. "And don't ask me to turn it off again. It's our only asset right now, and it's already stopped us from several appealing-yet-deadly solutions."

"Yeah, well, unless we find a [i]non-[/i]deadly one, that's gonna matter exactly squat." Ellie frowned. "Some asset. Maybe you can annoy the elementals away with it."

"[i]Gods[/i], no," Maya said. "Targeting it on them would draw them to us like a homing beacon."

"Well, if that triggers the avalanches early…" Ellie's voice trailed off. "Hold on. [i]Hold[/i] on."

"…I know that look, Ellie. That's the look of a bad idea."

"No. Forget the elementals. What, exactly, is your spell's range?"

Maya blinked. "Uh…short answer, line of sight. The temporal crosslink was the big energy expenditure…" She glanced back at the city. "Is [i]that[/i] what you're thinking? I can barely make out the lights! How could I target anyone?"

"So area-cast it! Like you did with the amplification spell when Jeanette was taunting you about the books she stole!"

Maya's face paled. "Oh no. No no no. Ellie, don't even [i]suggest[/i]—"

"The energy surge will disrupt six active rituals, including the wildstorm protection enchantment being erected around the city," the voice intoned. "You will face several civil lawsuits, an Academy disciplinary tribunal, and possible lifetime casting sanctions."

Maya sank to her knees, staring numbly out toward the city. "Are you [i]crazy[/i]?" she pleaded. "[i]Listen[/i] to that!"

"I did," Ellie said softly, "and you know what I [i]didn't[/i] hear? Either of us [i]dying[/i]."

Maya frantically thought about it. There had to be a better way. Except there wasn't—not with the warning evocation occupying her entire spell memory, half of their outdoor equipment lost, and a wildstorm on the way.

"Claiming full responsibility for your friend's decision," the voice suddenly said behind her, "will result in arrest, jail time, and the withdrawal of your family's financial support for your education."

Maya felt Ellie's claw on her shoulder. She smiled humorlessly, reached up, and squeezed it.

"We're in this together," Ellie quietly said.  Then, louder: "[i]Shit[/i], it's cold."

Fifteen minutes later, a dragon was winging its way toward the peak. "There will be hell to pay tomorrow," Maya intoned in an imitation of the spell's voice…but at least there would be a tomorrow to pay it with.