Dusk had descended, the first few stars just appearing in the indigo sky.

"My apologies," I uttered, shifting on the tree root.

Vrsadra laughed - it's sound an ophidian hiss as opposed to the soft, musical laughter of the Highborne Elves. "For what do you apologissse, little bird-man?"

I flexed my feathers. Little bird-man? Her terminology made me inwardly smile. "For droning on for so long. I did not realise it was so late."

Her scales shimmered as she coiled her tail around the tree root and moved a little closer. "I have found your tale mossst enlightening," she said. "But, there are still missing piecesss of the puzzle."

I looked askance at her. "Such as?"

"Who you are."

"I am Khadgar; I'm a mage. And I'm a father!" My contours fluffed out with pride.

Vrsadra smiled – I think. "Congratulations on your son. But, hmm, a mage? Isss that all?"

I was not sure what she was implying. I had seen myself as a mage. A good one I think and one who seemed to lead others in the construct of spells, but what else she meant escaped me.

She rose to her land height, all eight feet of her as she poised on her tail. Leaning down, she beckoned for me to alight on her arm. I was reluctant. I did not want to return to the depths of the Great Sea, air bubble or not.

She laughed again. "Worry not Khadgar; I merely wish to take you further north. For there isss a place there which will help you unlock the lassst of your memories."

"You read my mind," I said, a little embarrassed my thoughts were so obvious.

"No, I merely sssensed your hesitancy."

She moved towards the lapping waves, her guardians in close pursuit. "Know thisss, however; once I deliver you there, the ssspell which makes you communicate as a man will no longer be viable. You will revert to your raven clicks."

Somehow, my human voice had made me overlook that small fact. I felt all the jubilation of my recent recollections ebb from me.

How was I meant to find and tell my Sarah who I was? How could I even hope to hold my son?

The tightness in my chest was intense, like a frightening prelude to an absolute, crushing loss. Finally, I understood the sensations when I thought of the wet-eyed woman; a longing for what once had been. I had known an all-consuming love which had once made me complete. I ached for that now.

Understanding made it no easier to bear. If anything, it reinforced the pain, for I knew not how to shift out of my avian form—something which must have at one time, been an easy enough trick to execute.

As we moved in a westerly direction, I did manage to find a smote of humour. I thought of spectators watching us from the shores; a bird riding high on the shoulder of a Naga, cruising over the waves as if it were a most natural occurrence. It was a brief whimsy, for my desperate situation hit home again, and I was drowning in a shroud of hopelessness.

Vrsadra finally turned towards the land. In the distance, I could make out a small mountain range.

The rippling static which suddenly coursed through my plumage indicated I was near a source of potent magic. It was oddly comforting.

Vrsadra halted in a small pebbled clearing at the base of the cliffs. "I mussst leave you here," she said. "But, although the destination is not much further, you should ressst before continuing north."

"So, you know what lies beyond these mountains?" I asked.

"Yesss, I do. A power which seduces Elf and Human alike, Khadgar. The root of your being, so-to-speak."

"Tell me! It is not something which has made itself known to me yet."

She shook her head, "It is part of your ssself-rediscovery," she said. "And you will find out sssoon enough, Khadgar." She slithered over to an outcrop of boulders, where she gently deposited me.

She stared at me for a few moments before speaking again. "When you meet with Illidan again, tell him about me, pleassse."

"I wish I had your faith Lady Vrsadra, for I do not know how that will even be possible," I replied, somewhat gloomy.

I jumped as she unexpectedly stroked my chest. "You will sssee Illidan again, of that I am certain, and when you do, let him know we are more than willing to lend our sssupport should he ever need it."

"I don't know how to do the translations spell, at least not in this form. And I also do not know how I can revert to a man again."

She smiled "You will. You sssee, I have heard of the great Khadgar. But I thought..." She shook her head, dismissing whatever she was going to utter.

"What? Wait. You know who I am? What I am?" I stammered. This revelation had me stunned.

"I can tell you that you are ssso much more than a mere magus..."

"What am I then? Tell me!"

She merely smiled in her inimitable, reptilian way and continued as if I had not even spoken. "The place north from here will unlock all the remaining mystery for you Khadgar, of that, I am alssso certain."

"But how do you know such..." I started.

My question hung unfinished, but she answered my query regardless. "I consider myself primarily a Highborne, for all my appearance would suggest otherwise. We are attuned to much of life's mysteries and her latent powers. Plusss, as Naga, much news drifts through the currents of the seas, so we are not without resourcesss."

Her red eyes watched my reaction with a degree of supremacy. "Humans, my little bird-man, are still relatively new to thisss world. Although you harnessss much power and possess an efficacious knowledge of the most sssacred magic, still you are but a novice in such matters. But, all is not lost, Khadgar."

Her last sentence struck a chord with me, although the key was still elusive.

"Rest and tomorrow, find your way. I will remain close by and keep you sssafe while you slumber. Now, sssleep ..."

My eyes started to close.

"Sssleep. Khadgar, Arch..."

I tried to focus on what she was saying, but I was rapidly slipping into the land of dreams.

"Of the Kirin ..."

I heard no more.