'I love you' he said, not meaning it.

She looked him in the eyes and he thought she believed him.

'Why?' she prompted him, for she was vain.

He was fond of her, but he knew her toll.

Regardless, he knew he had an out. Her family had a secret - they were cousins to the traitor and had spent influence to disavow and maintain a lesser yet still prestigious position within the city's society.

He held her closer as a chill breeze topped the hillock where they rested. She nuzzled against his shoulder and he thought 'she should mean more to me'.

Their families had betrothed them when she was 3 and he was 5.

He'd been restless. Today this lovely girl he knew so well should have compelled his attention, but something was amiss, and he was restless.

He sat up to look back upon their city below, but something wasn't right. 'Is that Rook Road? It's supposed to cross Arqbau Ravine by the Quentin bridge, but I can't see either, and yet it's a clear day.'

As he watched, it seemed his sight became distorted, like when he visited the light shop, where for an exhorbitant price you could see ethereal and astral.

He thought 'That breeze isn't a mere tempest - it's a khamsin'

'Juni! Look.'

'Moelis? What is it?'

'I think we should return to our families. I know we have proclaimed our love and I relish the idea of our future together, but... see for yourself.'

They had seen dust storms before. This one didn't seem to affect anything - they expected they could see winds throwing things about - if these winds did so - but they didn't. Instead their home became more obscured, and they were dizzy.

Moelis picked up their drop cloth to protect them from all the wind-swept chaff.

The wind stopped as quickly as it started, but suddenly it was cold. Moelis lowered his arm to look about and was shocked to see he and his lover were no longer on the hillock above Eru-Tovar.

He looked upon ice - floating at sea, and as he watched off to his right a lengthy crashing turned his attention. He saw a great sheet of ice collapse into the sea off a 500' glacier and was fully bewildered. 'What just happened - how did I get here?'

'Blame Shothragot' someone said from behind them.

Chapter 2

Juni had dressed for a mild autumn day. She was obviously ill-equipped for the surroundings they found themselves in. All was frozen - little grew.

The people they were amongst obviously lived off the sea - but they didn't seem to feel the effects of cold - Juni commented that she saw a man jump from his boat when his lure went limp, and saw him walk from the water some time later with his catch in hand.

By this time the locals had decided Moelis and Juni were no threat and made some effort to communicate. One that was obviously a graying elder said 'I send young ones'.

Juni had been schooled as most boys had not, and she had picked up that her hosts spoke Ancient Baklun. She asked 'What brought you to this shore?'

'We know not for certain, but the elements are not what they once were.'

'Shelai, I don't understand'. Juni was frustrated by the lack of meaning.

'We made a promise, and here we are' Shelai says.

'Are the elementaL planes still accessible?'

'Sadly, no. The City of Brass is a melted slag heap; it's equivalents on the other 3 are just as abused, but we speak for the elementals.'

Chapter 3

Moelis spends time with local swordsmen. The practice he gets give him skill. He gets a bit cocky until he proclaims his prowess and Arken steps up.

At this point one of the old ladies explains to Juni that they are Jann. The elemental planes are hostile to intelligence since Shothragot weakened the veil between the planes.

Arken wounds Moelis in a way that would kill him, but he survives because he is beloved of the Jann.

Juni & Moelis realise that while their fates may bond them, their gods require other tasks of them.

Juni suggests that the Jann ought to become nomadic their elemental nature will make them focus on a particular element if they dont find temperate spots.