A/N: Uh, hi? I definitely did not mean to take 3 months to update! Unfortunately things got quite busy, and I was also doing some original writing work. Hopefully, though, I've now got everything together enough to go back to monthly updates. Anyway, I will never abandon the story altogether, even if it takes a long time to update again! This chapter will finish off the early Qunari quests from Act 2, and next chapter will get into the other quests from Act 2. Hope you enjoy it!
Thanks as always to everyone who's favorited, followed, and read so far! I'm happy you're all enjoying it!
Extra special thanks to my terrific reviewers of last chapter: LostSpace, Lethal Dragon, and Alkeni. Always love hearing from you guys!
PLEASE REVIEW EVERYONE! 150TH REVIEW GETS A GIFT FIC, AND IT MIGHT HAPPEN THIS CHAPTER!
Disclaimer: As always, anything you recognize belongs to Bioware. The rest belongs to me!
Chapter 21: The Qunari
"Brianna! Brianna! What in the depths of the Pit is going on?!" It was the sound of Mardin's voice, panicked and angry, that finally jerked Brianna back to awareness.
She looked around, frantically, trying to figure out what was going on. She was holding her staff tightly in both hands, and in front of her was Isabela, holding the dead body of a mercenary in front of her, the body looking like it had been roasted, Isabela peeking over the shoulder, wide-eyed. Varric was crouched behind a low stone wall, which looked a little charred, also. Between them was the final barrel, which someone must have shut, as the green gas was gradually disappearing from all around them. Fenris was several hundred yards away, in the midst of a pile of bodies, his sword raised while he panted for breath, looking as though he was just returning to awareness, too.
Was Mardin here, too? She'd heard his voice. But no, she didn't see any sign of him. And suddenly, there it was again, and she looked down, seeing the sending crystal on her chest flashing with blue as a string of foreign words flowed from it. She didn't know what they meant, but she guessed from the angry sound of his voice that Mardin was cursing. "Are you two okay?" she asked shakily, looking up at Isabela and Varric.
They both nodded, Isabela finally letting go of the body as it dropped to the ground. "Are you okay?" Isabela asked a little warily, removing the handkerchief from around her face, and Brianna nodded fervently. "I think so. I'm sorry. Varric? I didn't hurt either of you, did I?"
Varric came out from behind the wall, shaking his head. "I'm fine, Hawke. Rivaini and I are quick, don't worry. But you'd better answer Red before he explodes."
Brianna glanced back down to the crystal, realizing Mardin's string of curses had yet to stop, and she picked it up, bringing it closer to her face as she said, "Mardin? Mardin, are you there?"
The foreign words cut off abruptly. "Brianna?" He sounded relieved, she realized, and heard a sound as though he was letting out a long breath. "What in the Fox's name is going on?! Why did it take you so long to answer? I heard shouting and fighting, and I thought . . ." His voice trailed off, as though he didn't want to complete whatever that thought had been.
"No, no, I'm fine now," she hastened to reassure him. She didn't feel any obvious injuries, just as though she was drained and exhausted. And by some insane luck, she'd managed not to hurt her friends while under the influence of the Qunari gas, which was the most important thing. On top of that, one of them had managed to stop the gas before anything worse had happened.
"You're fine now?" he repeated incredulously, his voice rising drastically in volume.
"Yes, now." She quickly explained to him about going to see the Arishok, the theft, and the Qunari's poison gas. "Unfortunately, we were too late to stop whoever stole it from making the gas, and we went in to stop it. I must have . . . succumbed to the effects a little bit, and that's why I wasn't answering you. But we stopped it, and I'm fine now. So are the others. Right?" She added as Fenris came back over to them. He nodded shortly, looking a bit disturbed, but unharmed.
Another string of what she assumed was foreign curse words erupted from the crystal, followed by something that sounded like, "Fucking Qunari. I knew it." He took a long breath, then went on in a softer voice, "You're really okay? Everybody else, too?"
"We're all okay," she reassured him. "Really."
The others had all gathered a little closer, and Varric leaned up towards the crystal. "Red! Get your ass back here, would ya?"
Mardin chuckled, though it sounded a little pained. "I'm trying. That's actually what I was originally calling you for; the ship is going to arrive tomorrow."
"Oh good." Isabela leaned closer too, adding, "We miss you, handsome."
"Especially Broody here, he's so lonely." Varric smirked at the elf. "Aren't you?"
"It has been rather quiet in the mansion, particularly at night," Fenris said blandly.
Brianna couldn't stifle a giggle as she realized what Fenris was implying, especially as Mardin was laughing loudly on the other end of the crystal along with Isabela, and Varric looked frankly shocked. "Did Broody just make a joke?"
"I have made jokes before, dwarf," Fenris returned evenly.
"Not that I remember, Broody."
"For the last time, I do not brood," Fenris retorted, looking exasperated.
Mardin had gotten his laughter largely under control by this point, and interjected in an amused tone, "Goddess, I really did miss all of you."
Brianna smiled at that as Isabela chimed in, "Of course you did, handsome."
"Why wouldn't you miss us? I doubt the Wardens are half as much fun. And as for you, elf," Varric went on, "if you were any more broody –"
"Serah Hawke!" A voice shouted from above, cutting Varric off and silencing anything Fenris might have been about to say. Brianna looked up, to a ledge above the courtyard, several feet away from where they were currently standing, to see a blonde elven woman glaring down at them. She was wearing plate armor and hefting a long, serrated spear, her face appearing to be scarred and the look in her eyes half-crazed.
"Easy," Brianna said, holding up her hands in a gesture of peace, wondering if this was the elf Javaris had been talking about. The sending crystal was silent, but it still glowed blue, indicating Mardin was listening as she went on, "I'm just trying to find out what happened."
"You have enemies, Hawke. I'm glad it's you, really," the elven woman said, shaking her head and looking sadly down at the courtyard. Now that the creeping green mist was dissipating, the amount of bodies it revealed was disturbing. Some, Brianna was sure, had been there before they'd even arrived. And some, she hoped, were only unconscious. "These poor people. You are a much better target!"
Target? Brianna wondered. Had someone set this as a trap for her? She needed answers, and it seemed like the elf might be able to provide them. "You stole the gaatlok, what, to sell?" she demanded. "What exactly were you trying to accomplish here?"
"Qunari take my people!" The elf snarled back at her, pacing back and forth as she ranted. "My siblings forget their culture, then go to the Qun for purpose. We're losing them twice! So I get help from your people. We'll take the Qunari thunder, make some accidents, and make them hated. But this . . . this is all wrong." She shook her head again.
Help from my people? Who would have thought of this crazy scheme? Brianna wondered. "Who? Which of 'my people' put you up to the theft?"
"It can still work," the elf went on, ignoring her question entirely. "They are hidden in your city. They'll enrage the faithful, and make sure the Qunari are blamed." The woman's eyes were gleaming with a mad fire as she continued, "Me, I'm finished. I just need a few more bodies. A few more!"
And with that, she raised her spear and came dashing down the stairs to attack them, followed by several more mercenaries, as Brianna pulled out her staff again and the others raised their weapons.
"Sorry, Mardin," she murmured to the crystal, shooting an arcane blast at an onrushing mercenary. "I'm a bit busy for now. I'll have to talk to you once everything's settled."
"You'd better," his voice drifted from the crystal. "I'll want to know if everybody's still okay. And I'll be there tomorrow to help root out whoever caused this." With that, the blue light on the crystal winked out.
"Glad to hear it," Brianna mumbled to the dark crystal, before she raised her staff once more, casting the powerful blizzard spell she'd recently learned from an arcane tome she'd bought with her new money. The spell sent the elven woman and her three remaining mercenaries slamming back into the wall of the courtyard with the force of the wind and driving ice, dropping them to the ground. Fenris rushed forward in a blur of light, running his sword through the woman before she could rise again, and Varric and Isabela easily picked off the remaining three.
"Is that the last of them?" Brianna asked, feeling exhaustion creep over her. She'd used so much magic today, and the gas seemed to have taken a lot out of her, as well. All she wanted now was a bath, food, and sleep. Not necessarily in that order.
Varric peered around the courtyard with Bianca at the ready, before slowly lowering it once no one else appeared. Brianna could hear some coughing, however, as some of the people lying around the courtyard began to get up, thank the Maker. "Looks like it must be, Hawke. Who do you suppose got that crazy elf to try and set up the Qunari?"
Brianna shrugged as Isabela said, "Who knows? The Qunari have lots of enemies themselves. No one much likes having them around here."
"Whoever it was, this is unlikely to be their last attempt," Fenris added, sheathing his sword.
"I'm sure we'll hear from them again," Brianna agreed with a sigh. She leaned down to Varric as a sudden horrible thought occurred to her as more people slowly got to their feet. "Varric, I didn't . . . kill any civilians while I was out of it, did I? Just . . . just mercenaries, right?"
Varric patted her arm reassuringly. "From what I saw, Hawke, you just knocked people out of your way with your staff. You didn't take the time to finish anybody off, at least until you aimed that fire spell at me and Rivaini. She'd just gotten the last barrel closed right before you did that, though, and between that and Red shouting, you weren't out of it long."
Brianna let out a relieved breath. If she'd killed any innocent civilians, who were only attacking her because of the gas, she didn't know what she would have done. Mercenaries and bandits were one thing; the people of Kirkwall were quite another. "Thank the Maker. And I'm sorry, Varric, Isabela. I don't know what I would have done if – "
"It's fine," Isabela cut her off, flapping her hand. "It was the gas, and you didn't actually manage to hit us. I was only about a minute away from losing it and stabbing somebody myself."
"And the people that I attacked?" Fenris was looking over at the pile of bodies he'd been standing in the midst of, his jaw tight.
Varric trotted over to the pile, Brianna and the others close behind, and she let out a relieved breath as Varric called out, "They're all armed. Definitely mercenaries, probably working with that elf."
Fenris nodded, some of the tension easing from his face. Brianna smiled reassuringly at him before looking around the courtyard at the confused people milling about. The damage wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it was certainly bad enough; besides the mercenaries, dozens of people had died before they'd arrived. Dozens more were injured or confused, and Brianna could only hope that they wouldn't remember what they'd done.
"We need to do something about this," she gestured at the mess. "And we need to talk to the Arishok." She took a deep breath. "I don't have the magic left to help these people; Isabela, can you go to Darktown and get Anders to come help?"
"Will do." Isabela gave her a mock salute before trotting off in the direction of the alley that led back out.
"Fenris, Varric, will you come with me to see the Arishok? We'll let Aveline's guard know it's safe on the way out, and he can get the rest of the guards to come and help. And after we see the Arishok," she sighed, looking up at the slowly darkening sky, "I'll need to tell the Viscount, too."
"I don't envy you that job, Hawke," Varric said, "but we're with you." Fenris nodded, and she thanked them as they headed out of the courtyard.
"So, I was wrong about our thief," the Arishok said, sitting calmly in his throne once more as he stared down at them.
Brianna nodded, having already delivered the explanation about the elven woman with apparent backing from the citizens of Kirkwall. "It appears so."
The Arishok spread his hands. "They say we were careless with our trap, that this is our fault. But even without the saar-qamek, there would have been death. This elf was determined to lay blame at our feet. Selfishness, want, denial – how do you allow this to continue?"
"There wouldn't have been as much death without that gas of yours," Brianna pointed out. Probably unwisely, but she was pissed at the fact that the gas had nearly caused her to harm her own friends and innocent civilians. Still, not being completely suicidal, she worked to keep her tone matter-of-fact, and the Arishok didn't look offended, so she continued, "If you dislike Kirkwall so much, why haven't you left?"
"Since we arrived I have seen nothing but greed and weakness. Dwarves, humans, elves, just . . . festering," the Arishok said darkly. "No order, no goal. You are one of the few I have met with any ability. And yet this too was random, a result of selfishness. I cannot fathom how a mire like this can be justified. You say we should leave, but how can you bear to stay in this . . . chaos?"
Brianna shrugged. She couldn't really disagree with any of his points; there was a lot of greed and chaos in Kirkwall. "My welcome to the city was not so different from yours," she agreed.
"And yet you suffer it."
"I suffer it because the greed and chaos is not all that there is," she told him, sincerely hoping to make the Arishok see. "There's goodness and strength here too." Like Varric, and her friends, without whom she would not have made it as far as she had, she thought, smiling first at Varric, then at Fenris, still on either side of her. "It's an opportunity to make a real difference. I hope to make it better here, to make a life for my family."
"Karasten are soldiers." The Arishok stood up and walked forward to the top of the stairs, pointing at the Qunari who stood as guards there. Brianna tried not to tense up at this movement as he went on, "The Qun made it so. They can never vary from that assigned path, never be other than they are meant to be. But, they are free to choose within that role. To accept and succeed, or deny and die. Glory is clear and defined. Could you – could not this entire city – benefit from that certainty? How else will you know when you have made a 'real difference?'" he demanded as he began to pace back and forth.
Brianna frowned, a little worried at the direction the conversation was taking; she hoped the Arishok didn't plan to convert the entire city. Still, he was remaining calm and discussing the matter, so she could only respond in kind, and continue to give him the honesty that she thought had earned his respect. "I don't see any freedom in that. Freedom to 'choose to obey' sounds contradictory to me. And I will know I have made a difference when I see the people I have helped, living the lives that they wish, that make them happy."
The Arishok pointed to one of the guards again, who remained looking straight ahead, spear in hand. "He chooses to be. As do we all, long before any of your meaningless freedoms are presented." He moved back to his chair, sitting again with slow, deliberate movements. "Your kind may force our role to change if the Qun demands."
Shit. That was exactly the kind of thing she didn't want to hear. Time to distract the Arishok, Brianna decided. "If I were you, I'd be concerned about her supporters. She said someone else helped her do this, helped her try to pin the blame for everything on you."
The Arishok lifted one shoulder in a careless shrug. "Our enemies strike from shadow because they cannot stand before us. This is not a revelation. And it doesn't matter. I am not here to fight; I am here to satisfy a demand you cannot understand."
This. This was exactly what she wanted to know. If she could figure out why the Qunari were here, maybe she could get rid of them before they decided to change their role. "You've been here a long time," Brianna said with forced casualness. "How long does it take to satisfy one demand?"
"It will take as long as needed," the Arishok growled, pointing a finger directly at her. "No ship is coming. There is no rescue from duty to the Qun. I am stuck here."
Well, wasn't that just marvellous. "That is not the understanding the Viscount and his supporters have," Brianna replied carefully. And definitely not the answer she'd wanted to hear.
The Arishok pointed a finger angrily at her once more. "Let them rot. Filth stole from us. Not now, not the saar-qamek. Before we came here. A simple act of greed has bound me. We are all denied Par Vollen until I alone recover what was lost under my command!" He shot to his feet once more, looking furious, rage lining every feature on his already intimidating face. Brianna controlled the urge to reach for her staff, knowing he wouldn't take it well as he stalked forward.
"That is why this elf and her shadows are unimportant. That is why I do not simply walk from this pustule of a city! Fixing your mess is not the demand of the Qun! And you should all be grateful!" He roared the last sentence, louder even than Mardin as a bear, charging forward to the top of the stairs. It was only through sheer force of will that Brianna managed not to run or cast a spell in defense. As suddenly as he'd charged, he seemed to deflate, the energy and fury draining from him. He turned and headed back to his chair, sitting down once more and saying in a calm, measured tone, "Thank you, human, for your service. Leave."
Brianna nodded tightly, every muscle in her body like a coiled spring, adrenaline pounding through her. Only by keeping her fists clenched did she keep her hands from shaking or reaching for her staff. She turned around and walked out, keeping her pace slow and deliberate, despite her desire to flee from the rage she'd just seen. Varric and Fenris quietly followed. None of them spoke until they were standing in front of the Hanged Man, well away from the docks and the Qunari.
"That's an oxman ready to charge," Varric said quietly, looking shaken. "The Viscount should know."
Fenris nodded in agreement. "The Arishok is angered. If those people who hired that elf try any other tactics, he may very well decide to take action. If we wish to avoid a war with the Qunari, we must find them and stop them before it gets that far."
"Yeah." Brianna let out a long breath, leaning against the wall of the Hanged Man, her body shaking with reaction. As much as she missed him, especially right now, she was rather glad Mardin hadn't been at her side for that. There was no telling what he would have done in response to that obvious threat the Arishok had just delivered. Still, she would be glad to have him back tomorrow, especially if the Qunari did decide to attack. She flexed her fists, then shoved a hand through her hair, feeling utterly drained. "I wish I had any clue who it was. The Qunari have lots of enemies, as Isabela pointed out. Or what was stolen from them; if we could get it back, they might leave. Can you try to get your spies to find both those things out, Varric?"
"Sure thing, Hawke." He studied her closely, looking concerned. "You look exhausted. You should go have something to eat, get some sleep. The Arishok won't attack tonight, and Dumar will still be there in the morning."
"You're right," Brianna decided. She was starving, exhausted, and sore. She needed to go home. "Can you have a message sent to the Keep? Tell the Viscount I'll give him a full report first thing in the morning."
"Will do. Now go home," Varric told her, and she nodded, turning around and heading for Gamlen's, which was still home - for now.
"Mardin, are you there?" After a hasty, but welcome bath in Gamlen's battered wooden tub, as well as the supper Mother had made, Brianna was laying in the room she'd once shared with Carver on the bottom bunk, the crystal in her hand. She was exhausted, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep, but she knew Mardin would want to know how things had gone, and might get worried if she didn't let him know before she slept.
There was a moment's pause before the crystal glowed blue, and Mardin's voice rang from it. "Brianna? You're all right then?"
She smiled. He sounded so concerned about her; surely that must be a good sign of his feelings for her? "Yes. That last fight with the elf and her mercenaries went fine; no one got hurt." She went on to give him a quick run-down of everything that had happened after the fight. She considered glossing over what the Arishok had said and how he'd acted, but in the end decided that Mardin had to know. "So I'm going to see the Viscount in the morning," she finished, "and let him know what the Arishok had to say."
There was another pause. She heard a thump sound, like he'd slammed his fist on something, followed by a few muttered foreign words that sounded like a curse. Finally he said, "I'm sorry."
She frowned at the crystal, surprised. "Why would you be sorry? The Qunari aren't your fault."
"No, but I should have been there. I'm supposed to be there helping you with the Qunari and anything major like this, and instead I was stuck on a ship, doing nothing. You could have died today. Or accidentally killed someone. And it would have been my fault," he muttered, sounding utterly disgusted with himself. "I should never have left."
"Yes, you should have," she disagreed with him. She should have known he'd blame himself for not being there to protect everyone; that was just how he was, so bound by his duty. "You needed to be there for your sister, and nothing was happening here while you were gone. It's just been this last day that something happened, and you're nearly back. Anyway, it's probably for the best that you weren't here for the gas. If you'd lost control under the influence of the gas, things could have been much worse. And you shouting through the crystal is part of what helped to snap me out of it before I did actually hurt someone. So it all worked out for the best, and you'll be here tomorrow to help."
"I suppose you have a point," he said after a moment, reluctance in his voice. "Goddess only knows how that gas would affect shifters. But I'm not leaving Kirkwall again. Not until we're sure everything is okay. Ayla and her family will just have to come to visit me instead."
"If that's what you want," she replied, stifling a yawn, "then that's fine. We'll all be happy to have you here, I'm sure. It's awfully cold in my bed, after all."
He groaned. "Please don't do that while I'm still stuck on the ship, I'm begging you."
She laughed softly, enjoying the tortured sound of his voice. "I can't help it; it's the truth."
"Well, then I'll warm you up thoroughly when I'm back. As soon as whatever business you have is finished tomorrow, I'm dragging you back to the mansion and my bed," he threatened.
She smiled. I certainly hope so. "For the whole night?" she teased.
"And most of the next day, if I have my way," he replied, sounding amused. "But you need to sleep now, Brianna. You sound exhausted."
"I am," she admitted, stifling another yawn, feeling her eyelids drooping against her will.
"Then sleep," he urged her softly. "I'll come find you as soon as my ship docks in the morning, I promise."
"I'll hold you to that," she told him. "Goodnight, Mardin."
"Goodnight, Brianna."
Brianna strolled into the Viscount's office late the next morning, leaving Varric, Fenris and Isabela waiting outside at the Seneschal's insistence. The Viscount was looking out the window, arms folded, but turned as she came in, his face lined with stress. "Years of nice, quiet anxiety . . . gone. Along with a whole street. Would you like to explain how that happened? I sent you to appease the Arishok!"
"Well, to be fair, the Qunari weren't the ones who killed all those people," Brianna replied evenly, before she went through everything that had happened yesterday, including the involvement of the strange elven woman.
"Right," Dumar said half-hysterically. "So it wasn't the Qunari, just a mad elf, pushed by zealots, likely hidden in the very groups I have to appease." He shook his head, walking over to his desk and leaning against the edge. "The Maker has a grand sense of humour. And the Arishok – I suspected he had no plans to leave. I didn't know it was just as annoying for him."
"He's likely to become dangerous soon," Brianna informed him reluctantly. "As a friend of mine pointed out, they're spoiling for blood, and anything could set them off. You need to keep everyone calm."
The Viscount sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. "Too late, I fear. It's a shame – he was making overtures of cordialness. Your influence, no doubt."
"Really?" Brianna exclaimed, shocked. After the way he'd acted yesterday, she would never have believed it. "What sort of overtures? What happened?"
"A Qunari delegate and entourage paid me a visit last night after you'd spoken to him. It was civil, tentative. Hopeful. They left my chambers with precision, but were not reported by the outer guard. They are missing almost literally from my doorstep. What, do you imagine, will be the Arishok's reaction?"
Brianna shook her head. This was exactly the kind of thing she'd been hoping to avoid; whoever was behind that elf was obviously working hard. "Not good. We need to find out what happened, and quickly."
"I feel I have been trying to turn a stampede for some time, now. Someone is pushing very hard." Dumar shook his head, looking despondent. "Speak with Seneschal Bran. Then you will see why I cannot trust anyone else with this. I don't know who will benefit from fighting the Qunari, but it will cost all of us."
"I'll look into right away," Brianna promised, turning and heading out of the room after the Viscount nodded. She needed to find this delegate, and fast; the absolute last thing she wanted was a Qunari war on her doorstep.
Varric and the others were waiting just outside the door, as ordered. Brianna gave them a quick run-down of what had happened, then marched over to the Seneschal immediately. He was waiting at his customary guard-dog position in the hallway in front of Dumar's door. "You have information about the missing Qunari?" Brianna demanded.
"I am to help you, yes," Bran replied coolly. "Viscount Dumar would appreciate discretion in this matter. I would prefer that you are not involved at all, but that is neither here nor there."
Brianna sighed, choosing to ignore his rudeness altogether. "I have to say, I'm having difficulty picturing anyone abducting one Qunari, let alone an entourage. How exactly did it happen?"
"Unfortunately, they were not at their best. Their swords were tied into their sheaths. As I advised," Bran admitted reluctantly. "It seemed a respectful compromise. Even I know you cannot separate a Qunari from his weapon."
Well, that explained it. Anyone would be at a disadvantage trying to untie their weapon, no matter how strong. Especially if they were outnumbered, Brianna thought. She needed to find them, and quickly. "Has anyone reported this to the Qunari?" she demanded, wondering if she'd need to deal with a bunch of Qunari searching as well.
The Seneschal shook his head fervently. "Maker, no. I'd be signing the messenger's death warrant. He'll find out soon enough, of course. And when he does, the Viscount is rightly concerned that the illusion of peace will dissolve."
"Do you have any information I can use? You must have some suspicions," Brianna said, hoping that the Seneschal would be able to point her in the direction of whoever was so determined to start this war with the Qunari.
"My concerns are well-founded," Bran replied. "This could not have escaped the notice of the city guard, unless they were involved. Not coincidentally, a number of recent recruits have failed to report this morning. You should start with one of them. Although, where you find a swordsman so eager to sell his honor and his duty, I'm sure I don't know."
"The Hanged Man," Varric and Fenris said simultaneously, causing Brianna to look at them in amusement as Isabela chimed in, "Definitely."
"Right," Bran drawled. "Then you know what to look for. I can't imagine this has occurred without notice. There is always a weak link." He waved his hand as if to indicate that they were dismissed.
Brianna turned and headed down the stairs towards the main doors, the others following. "You two seemed very certain we'd find these guards at the Hanged Man."
"There's some idiot there who's been flashing around money all night," Varric replied. "He was still at it when we left."
"He was not wearing the armor of the city guard, but he did have their standard issue sword and shield with him," Fenris added. "I would suspect he is the one you are looking for, as I do not recall seeing him amongst the guard before."
Brianna sighed, shaking her head. "Aveline's going to be pissed about this."
"Shouldn't someone tell Lady Man-hands about her easily bribed recruits?" Isabela asked.
"We need to make sure we're right about this first, and find out if he knows anything about where the Qunari might be." Brianna pushed open the door, heading down the stairs of the Keep at a rapid pace. "Once we know for sure who it is, we'll turn him in to one of the guards."
"We'd better hurry, then, before he gets tired of drinking," Varric advised.
They hurried towards Lowtown, reaching it and the Hanged Man in little time. They were just approaching the door when they heard a voice shouting. "Hey, Brianna! Everybody!"
Brianna halted, turning towards the sound of the voice, and smiled when she saw she was right. Mardin was trotting towards them from the direction of the docks, still wearing the drakescale armor she'd talked him into buying, his sword and shield strapped to his back, his hair looking a little windblown. "Mardin!" she exclaimed, waving to him.
"Red! Good to see you again!" Varric called as the others added their own greetings.
Mardin stopped only a foot away from Brianna; from the intense look in his eyes and the way his hand reached out for her, almost reflexively, she half-expected him to scoop her up there and then. But he halted, pulling his hand back, and settled for smiling instead. "Nice to see you all again. I'm glad I decided to check the Hanged Man first."
"Oh, don't stop on our account, handsome," Isabela told him, smiling. "You feel free to greet Hawke properly."
Mardin laughed, his eyes blazing briefly as they met Brianna's, looking almost feral, before he shook his head. "I'd love to, but I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stop once I got started."
Brianna felt a flush of either embarrassment or desire, or possibly both, building up on her face, but she ignored it and Varric's hoot of laughter as she said, "That will have to wait until later. We're on a bit of a time crunch right now." She quickly explained to him about the missing Qunari delegate, and the guard they were hoping to find in the tavern.
Mardin nodded when she'd finished, looking determined. "Sounds like we need to find these Qunari fast. I'm ready."
"Let us go then," Fenris said, pushing open the bar door, "before he leaves."
Fortunately, it appeared the man had not left; Brianna saw who they were talking about the moment they entered the dimly lit bar, the door swinging shut behind them. Despite the early hour, there were still several people at the tables drinking and playing cards. Some were probably still going from the night before. One man was up at the bar, shouting at Corff to buy a round for everyone, tossing coins from a pouch down onto the bar. Though he wore only a tunic and breeches, Fenris had been right; there was a guardsman-issue sword and shield strapped to his back. Brianna headed straight over to him, the others all following.
"Well, you're throwing coins around like there's no tomorrow," Isabela remarked as they stopped a few feet away.
The man turned to look at them, swaying a bit, his green eyes bleary and his strawberry blonde hair and moustache mussed and dirty as he slurred, "That's right, woman. I'm paid and blessed. And all I had to do was turn my head." He turned to the rest of the bar, hefting up the bottle in his hand as he called, "To all my friends!"
Brianna moved closer to him, shooting him an easy smile, but he frowned at her. "Hey, step back. I know important people. We're going to show this city what to do with heathen oxmen."
Brianna gave a quick glance to the others, rolling her eyes; they definitely had the right man. She turned back to the guard, still smiling. "Someone has deep pockets. I want an introduction."
The guard pointed the bottle at her. "Somebody always wants something. But I don't have to take that anymore. Three horn heads are just a start. You want some of this? Take it from me and my new friends!"
One of the other drunks at the table shouted, "You're on your own, pal!" The other patrons chuckled, remaining seated; most of them were regulars who knew well enough to avoid a fight with Brianna or any of her friends by now.
"That's loyalty for you," the guard slurred. "Come on!" He drew his sword and readied his shield, advancing towards them, though none of the other patrons moved to help him.
Mardin stepped in between Brianna and the advancing man, not even bothering to draw his own sword. "I've got this."
"Don't knock him out cold," Brianna reminded him. "We need answers."
Mardin nodded, advancing toward the guard, who slurred, "Don't you want your sword?" He waved his around in emphasis.
Mardin shook his head. "Don't need it." He dodged to the side as the other man swung his sword clumsily, grabbing the man's arm just below the wrist and twisting hard. There was an audible sound of bones snapping; Brianna winced in sympathy as the man shrieked in pain, dropping his sword. He tried to swing his shield at Mardin, who side-stepped that, too, before punching him in the stomach. The guard went down hard on the floor, and Mardin kicked his shield away before lifting him up by the collar with one hand, dangling him a foot off the ground. "Feel more like chatting now?"
The guard kicked and struggled, whining piteously, not immediately replying, but gave up after a moment when he couldn't work himself loose. Brianna stepped up to Mardin's side, looking up at the guard. "We don't have to do this, you know. Just answer a couple of questions, and he'll put you down. Don't answer, well . . ." She shrugged. Mardin lifted him higher, and the man shrieked. "Okay, okay! What do you want to know?"
"Someone gave you all that coin you're tossing around, right?" Brianna prompted. When he nodded, she pressed, "What for? Who?"
"I just did what he said," the guard whined, kicking his legs a little. "It was more coin than I've ever seen."
"Come on," Brianna coaxed. "Someone so generous, they deserve recognition."
The guard didn't answer immediately, but when Mardin pulled his other arm back, ready to deliver another punch, he cried out, "Templar! It was a Templar. I didn't get the name. We met near the Chantry. He . . . he said taking these Qunari was serving the Maker. I swear, he even had the seal of the Grand Cleric! True is true!"
Mardin let go, and the guard fell to the floor hard, crying out when he landed. He curled into a ball, whimpering. "You stay there," Brianna informed him. "We'll be sending a guard that does their job to bring you to your captain."
She turned to Varric, who nodded. "Got you covered, Hawke. I'll send someone to find a guard for this poor idiot. I'll meet you outside." He headed for the door.
"You have got to be kidding me," Isabela said, throwing up her hands as they followed Varric out. "A Templar?"
"Supposedly serving the Grand Cleric," Brianna sighed. "Guess we're going to the Chantry, then." She looked over at Mardin. "He was telling the truth, right?"
Mardin nodded. "My instincts didn't go off, so he wasn't trying to betray us. That was the truth – at least as he knew it."
"It would hardly be the first time we have encountered a Chantry member working against the Qunari," Fenris pointed out.
"That's true," Brianna agreed as they headed outside, waiting while Varric paid one of his spies to go find a nearby guard to arrest the one inside, then inform Aveline about him. "And Dumar thought it was likely religious zealots. We'll just have to find out which ones."
As soon as Varric was done, they headed for Hightown and entered the Chantry, which was rather deserted at this time of day, as most of the services weren't until the afternoon. Still, there was a sister kneeling by the candles at the base of the first statue as they came in, and Brianna approached her. "The Grand Cleric, please," she requested. "Tell her . . . tell her it concerns the Qunari."
The sister nodded, getting up and heading for the nearby stairs while Brianna and the others waited by the statue. The sister had barely left when Mardin gave a faint warning growl, and a voice drawled, "Serah Hawke."
Brianna turned in surprise. "Sister Petrice?"
"Mother Petrice," the woman corrected, looking – and sounding – as odious as she had during the incident with Ketojan. "Time has changed us both. Grand Cleric Elthina cannot grant an audience to just anyone. What do you want?"
Brianna smiled, having the sudden feeling that she knew exactly who was behind all the recent troubles with the Qunari, especially given the look on Mardin's face. "Funny how you and issues with the Qunari seem to go together," she said casually.
"And you always assume their side," Petrice retorted. "I was naive when last we met. I did not want you dead, but I felt a death was necessary. That may be too fine a point for you to understand, but you must admit you came out the better for it."
Brianna shook her head, unable to believe the woman's nerve. "Only because we managed to be skilled enough not to die. Anyway, I know someone is abusing the Grand Cleric's seal, and look, here you are."
"Who are you to question who serves Her Grace?" Petrice sneered. "I am sorry, but I see no reason to let you pass."
"How about the fact that her authority was used to abduct Qunari?" Brianna asked, smiling when Petrice's eyes narrowed, but her mouth stayed shut for once. "A pause that says you knew. But does Her Grace?"
"The Grand Cleric trusts her stewards to enact the wishes of the Maker," Petrice retorted, though she sounded less than sure.
Brianna lifted her eyebrows in mock surprise. "Does she? I doubt she will anymore when I tell her about this."
Petrice turned away, muttering under her breath, "Stubborn . . ." She turned back, meeting Brianna's gaze. "All right, Serah Hawke, if you won't abandon this, let me offer you something. The Templar you seek is a radical who has grown . . . unreliable. Confronting him may do us all a favour."
Probably someone who is doing your exact bidding while you throw him to the wolves. "And he is what to you?"
"He is my former bodyguard, Ser Varnell. Assume what you wish, but I offer him to you as . . . reconciliation. Meet me at this location." Petrice dug a piece of parchment out of her robes, handing it over to Brianna, who took it reluctantly. "I invite you, Serah Hawke. Come see the unrest these Qunari have inspired," she finished grandly before sweeping away.
Mardin snorted as soon as she was out of earshot. "More like the unrest she's inspired. I knew I'd get to kill Varnell one day, though. I could kill her, too," he offered. "Every instinct tells me she's behind all of this."
Brianna sighed. The idea was very tempting, given how much damage Petrice would cause if she had her way, but . . . "No. I agree she probably is, but it's too dangerous. She's not the type you can arrange a hunting accident for. We'll play it her way for now, see if she lets something slip that we can use."
Varric cleared his throat. "That's a set-up." He nodded at the piece of paper. "Where is it? Another hideout of hers in Lowtown?"
Brianna looked down at the map. "Darktown, actually."
"Set-up or not, the missing Qunari are certain to be there," Fenris said.
"Which means we'd better get going," Brianna agreed, "before they're all dead."
They immediately headed out from the Chantry and went straight to the marked location where Petrice claimed Varnell was. Similar to the last time they'd done a favour for the woman, they ended up in a series of underground tunnels filled with horrible-smelling debris. Brianna noticed the grimace on Mardin's face the instant they entered; he kept one hand up over his nose as they made their way through the wooden tunnels.
"So," Isabela murmured as they crept through the tunnels. "Looking for a room full of armed zealots."
"Petrice is here somewhere," Brianna whispered back. "She said she'd meet us here. And we should find Varnell at the end, also."
Isabela nodded, spinning a dagger in one hand. "Looking forward to it."
"As am I," Mardin agreed, his other hand hovering by his sword hilt.
A short while after entering the tunnels, they arrived at a set of rickety wooden stairs that led up to the next level. Brianna led the way up the stairs, around a corner, and down a hallway. The hallway opened up into a large, open room with an immense post in the back corner. Tied to the post were the missing Qunari; at least two dozen people surrounded them, jeering and shouting, as a Templar stood at the head of the crowd, only feet away from one of the Qunari. No one appeared to have noticed them yet, too intent on the Qunari and the Templar who had to be Varnell, as he shouted, "Like any beast, remove the fangs and it is lost. They are weak before the faithful of the Maker. The only certainty in their precious Qun is death before the righteous."
Mardin shook his head as they hurried forward, looking disgusted as he muttered, "Yeah, it's so righteous to ambush people and tie them to pillars after you've bribed guards."
Brianna snorted in agreement. "Righteous appears to be loosely defined for them."
They were only a few feet away from the outer edge of the crowd by this point, just in time to see Varnell punch the bound Qunari behind him in the stomach. The Qunari grimaced briefly, but quickly raised his head and glared venomously at Varnell. Brianna halted, opening her mouth to address the rogue Templar, but was interrupted by a voice exclaiming, "Ser Varnell!"
Brianna turned, frowning, and sure enough, there was Petrice herself, storming up in her robes with an outraged expression plastered on her face as she halted next to them.
Varnell came forward and gestured to the crowd. "Take a knee, faithful. The Chantry blesses us."
"You claim a blessing when you have used the authority of the Grand Cleric so openly?" Petrice declared loudly. "You have brought wrath down upon you. You remember Serah Hawke?" She swept her hand grandly at Brianna, who rolled her eyes. Clearly the woman had missed her calling in the theatre. "The Qunari have friends, Templar. How will you answer their allegations?"
"Only cowards would attack someone who's tied up and unable to fight back," Mardin said, pulling his shield off his back. "And someone who abducts and attacks another for no crime other than being who they are needs to die."
Brianna nodded, thoroughly disgusted with the treatment of the Qunari. She might be wary of the Arishok's ultimate goal, but she definitely didn't agree with this. She pulled her staff off her back as the others drew their weapons. "You want a fight? Face someone whose weapons are not bound!"
Varnell whirled around behind him, pulling out a dagger and slashing the throat of the Qunari behind him, blood spurting up and pooling on the ground below. He dropped the dagger and drew his own sword as he bellowed, "Righteous! Destroy them!"
Brianna only caught a short glimpse of Petrice turning around and running away before she turned to face the onrushing crowd of armed and angry citizens, dropping an explosive fire spell into the middle of them. Varric hurled a grenade before readying Bianca and firing a volley of bolts into the crowd. A smoke bomb appeared in another section as Isabela moved in to attack, and Fenris raced forward into the crowd, a blue blur accompanied by falling bodies all that Brianna could see of him as he went.
"Keep away from Varnell," Mardin hissed at her. "Let me handle him." With that, he charged forward, slamming aside anyone in his way as he moved through the crowd towards Varnell. Fortunately, the Templar seemed equally focused on him, and soon their swords and shields were clashing together in a rapid dance.
Brianna didn't see any reason to disagree; there was certainly no need for her to go anywhere near the full-fledged Templar. She'd never had one of them smite her before, and she didn't have any desire to change that today. She moved back by Varric, and proceeded to shoot blasts of ice or lightning at the enraged citizens trying to overwhelm her friends, while simultaneously working to keep everyone healed. She and her friends were quite outnumbered, and she suspected Petrice had been banking on them getting killed. However, none of the zealots here were particularly skilled, with the exception of Varnell, and her party was making short work of them.
As for Varnell himself, while his skill level appeared to be roughly equal to Mardin's, at least from what Brianna could tell, it was obvious his strength wasn't. Though he was often catching Mardin's sword on his shield, the sheer power behind Mardin's blows was steadily driving him back and wearing him out. Finally, just as the others were finishing up with the last of the zealots, Mardin struck such a hard blow that Varnell cried out and dropped his shield. Before he could recover, Mardin had bashed him in the face with his own shield, sending the Templar over backwards. Mardin batted aside Varnell's sword as he tried to lift it in defense, before slamming his own sword straight down through the man's armoured chest, rending it in two. He yanked the sword out and slashed Varnell's head off before turning and checking the remainder of the crowd. Brianna zapped one more zealot rushing at Mardin with a lightning blast, frying the man and sending him twitching to the ground.
"Are any of the Qunari okay?" Brianna demanded, striding forward as she strapped her staff onto her back.
Varric, who'd run over to the pillar to check as soon as the way was clear, shook his head. "Sorry, Hawke. The bastards got them all."
Brianna sighed, shaking her head as she looked around at the carnage before them. All this, and they hadn't even managed to save any of the delegates. She could only hope that the Arishok would be satisfied with the elimination of most of the zealots. "All right. Time to bring this mess to the Viscount's attention. Varric, can you go send one of your people to fetch him and some guards while we start cleaning this mess up?"
"Sure thing, Hawke."
The Viscount arrived not twenty minutes later with several city guards, after Mardin and Fenris had untied the bodies of the Qunari and laid them out on the ground, while Brianna and the others had assisted in getting the other bodies more neatly arranged as well. The Viscount halted in the center of the room, looking around in horror at all the bodies they'd laid out. "Madness. Madness!"
Brianna nodded in agreement. "It is, Your Excellency." She explained briefly what she'd found out since she'd left his office that morning, ending with Varnell and his followers managing to kill the delegate before they could stop them.
The Viscount shook his head, staring down at Varnell's body. "Chantry involvement . . . even if they are fringe elements. It could not be worse."
"Sure it could," Isabela said cheerfully. "You could suddenly realize you're completely naked, or something." She chuckled, and Brianna shook her head at the pirate, mouthing "Not now" at her.
Fortunately, Dumar either seemed to have not heard her, or chosen to ignore her, as he'd moved on to look at the fallen Qunari. He stared at them for a long moment, closing his eyes briefly and shaking his head before he turned back to Brianna. "You killed them. All of them?"
Realizing that he was talking about the anti-Qunari faction, Brianna nodded. "Well, everybody that was here. I'm quite certain a mother serving the Grand Cleric had a hand in it, too."
The Viscount frowned. "Are you quite sure? She held a blade with them? Told them to fight you?"
Brianna sighed. Damn Petrice and her acting. "No, I cannot say that," she admitted reluctantly.
"She just neatly arranged the whole thing from behind the scenes before running off," Mardin added in a tone of disgust.
"Of course there's no solid evidence. A blasted mother . . ." Dumar shook his head once more, looking exhausted. "You have no idea the storm these allegations would cause. It would destroy what support I do have."
"I have had trouble with her before," Brianna warned him. She knew there was nothing that could be done against Petrice right now until there was actual proof, but the woman was also too dangerous to leave entirely alone. "She is . . . slippery. And I don't imagine she'll stay quiet forever."
The Viscount nodded. "I understand. I will make my inquiries. Gently. And you should be careful in your associations. For now, we have other problems." He looked back at the Qunari once more. "We have the delegate, but . . . I can't return the bodies to the Qunari in this state. Serah Hawke, you know the Arishok. What should I do?"
Brianna had already asked Fenris his opinion on the matter as they'd been laying the bodies out, and he had told her that the Qunari would prefer the facts to a cover-up, reinforcing her opinion that she had to keep being honest and courteous to the Arishok if she wanted to keep from angering him. She met Dumar's gaze evenly as she replied, "Hiding this would only make it worse. He'll find out eventually, and would be even angrier if we lied about it."
The Viscount turned away, his shoulders drooping. "He would, wouldn't he? I am losing my sense of how to balance this nightmare." He rubbed his forehead before turning back to face Brianna. "I appreciate your help in this matter. As bad as this is, it could have been much worse without you. Kirkwall owes you. I owe you." He held out his hand, and Brianna shook it formally. "You may go now. I'll have the guard take care of the rest of this mess, and I'll speak to the Arishok myself. Thank you."
Brianna gave him a brief bow. "You are most welcome, Your Excellency. Please let me know if you need anything else." With that, she gestured to the others and walked away, relieved to be done with this Qunari business for the moment.
Once they were out of earshot of the Viscount, heading for the entrance to the tunnel, Varric declared, "How about heading back to the Hanged Man for a very late lunch and some Wicked Grace?"
Isabela jingled her coin pouch. "Sounds great. I have this extra coin now, after all."
"I would appreciate the chance to win back my money from the other night," Fenris agreed.
"Not tonight, I'm afraid. I have a promise to keep," Mardin said. Brianna met his gaze, seeing that blazing, near-feral look in his eyes once more, which sent a shiver of anticipation through her – and a blush over her face as Isabela let out a low whistle and Varric smirked.
"Yes, sorry, Varric, I have plans," Brianna added.
He snorted. "I'll bet you do."
They had exited the tunnels by now, so Brianna grabbed Mardin's hand and waved a quick goodbye to the others, fighting the blush on her face. "We'll see you tomorrow."
"Late tomorrow, I hope?" Varric yelled after them, followed by Isabela's shout of, "Do everything that I would do!"
Brianna ignored both of them and just kept walking faster, though Mardin called back, "Very late tomorrow, if I have my way!" This was followed by more whistling and cheering, but soon he was the one tugging her along, heading for the steps to Hightown. "I do have three months to make up for, after all," he murmured to her as they went.
She smiled, her embarrassment rapidly giving way to anticipation. "And I am very much looking forward to it."