Dak woke up and found Merrill wrapped up in his arms. He smiled as he looked down at her beautiful face, and very carefully and reluctantly, he crawled out of bed.

He decided to let Merrill sleep as he got dressed. He made his way downstairs and found that Bodahn had already prepared breakfast. His mother and Leyla were already seated and taking a piece of egg.

"Had a good night's sleep?" Dak asked as he sat.

"Not as good as you," Leandra said, smiling slightly.

"You know," he said slowly.

"I've seen how you and that elf girl look at each other," she smiled. "It makes me wonder whether I shouldn't remarry. I'm sure the last thing you need is your mother watching over your shoulder every time you come home. But perhaps there is a life when your children outgrow you."

"Sounds like you've got someone in mind." Leyla smiled.

Dak had to admit he was happy to see his mother smiling again. The two of them knew that she loved their father more than anything in the world, and no one would replace him, but it was nice to discover that she was seeing someone.

Leandra gave Leyla a stern look. "Nothing I'm ready to share yet, so don't pry."

Dak and Leyla got a message from Varric; apparently, it was quite urgent. When they reached his place, he immediately waved them over.

"Dak… Leyla, I've got some news," he said. "You might not want to be near anything breakable when I tell you, though."

"Why don't I buy you a pint, and we'll talk?" Dak suggested.

"You just keep making this harder. Although I won't say no to a pint if you're buying." He sat down at the table and took a drink to fortify himself. "I've had an ear out for Bartrand. After the Deep Roads, he ran to Rivain, probably because he knew I couldn't track him. But I hear he might be back in Huttsgalor. He called in loans from a few of his contacts in Hightown."

Dak narrowed his eyes. "Was he staying in Hightown or just passing through?"

"If my information is good—and it's always good—he has a house there. Which gives us a good shot at having a word with my dear, sweet brother."

"How are you holding up, Varric?" Leyla asked.

"Me?" he said, sounding surprised. "My no-account, backstabbing brother is practically in arm's reach. I couldn't be better."

Dak was grateful that his relationship with his sister was far from the relationship between Varric and his brother.

"We need some answers from your brother," said Dak.

"I agree!" Varric nodded and patted Bianca. "Bianca's been missing him something awful. Let's stop by his new house. Welcome him back to the neighbourhood and all that."

They suspected he had posted a few guards, so they called for help. Sebastian offered his services and looked rather eager to assist.

"It's been very exciting working with Dak and Leyla," he said.

Varric just stared. "Are you for real?"

"It seems like they're involved every time there's a crisis in Huttsgalor." Dak had to admit that Sebastian had a point; ever since they stepped foot in the city, it was like they found themselves in every single crisis that appeared. Sebastian just continued to smile cheerfully. "I've never had so many opportunities to help people."

"All right. I thought I was getting tired of moody." Dak raised an eyebrow. "I take it back." He turned his gaze back to Sebastian. "You're making my teeth ache."

Isabela appeared around the corner, and when she laid eyes on Sebastian, she smiled seductively. Sebastian just shook his head. "Is this getting you any closer to your ship?"

"Huh?" Isabela blinked.

"I just… don't understand why you're working with Dak and Leyla. You don't seem to care about anything we do." He tilted his head at her. "What's keeping you here?"

She just turned around, shaking her ass a bit, and turned ahead, giving him a sly smile. "Mostly the Blooming Rose. I'm paid up through the end of the year. I'd hate not to use it."

"The…" Sebastian stuttered. "Brothel?"

"What? Women can't go to brothels, too? You're just not using your imagination." She elbowed Leyla. "Oh, look! Now he is." She grinned at Sebastian. "You're cute when you're blushing."

They decided to attack the mansion at night. When they got there, they found the door shut and covered in dust and cobwebs.

"This house looks abandoned." Dak frowned.

Varric shook his head. "I don't get it…" He looked around. "My sources saw people making deliveries here just a week ago. This… looks like it's been empty for months."

"This is still our best lead. We might find something that'll take us to Bartrand."

Varric nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

Varric kicked open the door, yelled for his brother, and started shooting enemies left and right. Within moments, Bartrand was begging for mercy and...

"Why lie now about this?" The Seeker narrowed her eyes.

Varric shifted in the chair. "What do you want from me? I broke in, I found my brother, and it was awkward. Family business."

She folded her arms and glared. "No. I think there's more to it."

He sighed. "Fine." He shifted again. "You want the gory details? I'll give you the gory details."

There were corpses scattered about. Some weren't even stiff yet. The guards that attacked them were ranting mindlessly, practically throwing themselves on the swords of Dak and Fenris. Leyla put up a wall of fire, only to have the guards burn themselves to death trying to charge through it. Anders put up a barrier just in time to keep one of the men from slamming into Sebastian.

"Bartrand…" Varric looked away. "What have you done?"

More bodies were strewn about. From the looks of things, the guards had been fighting each other when they weren't slaughtering the other servants. In the kitchen, the blood was still sticky on the floor.

"Okay, something is definitely wrong here," said Dak.

"I think that much is obvious," said Fenris.

Sebastian looked at Varric. "Varric, even from everything that you told me of your brother, find it hard to believe that he would do something like this."

"Mass murder is most definitely not his style," Varric agreed. "I admit this is not what I expected when we finally found him."

"We have to find your brother if we want any kind of answers," said Leyla.

Varric nodded. "Then let's make our way to his bedroom; it's the only place I can think of where he would be holding out."

They began climbing their way up the stairs when they heard a voice. "Varric? Is that you? Praise the Ancestors."

Varric held up a fist. "Hold up—I know this man. He's Bartrand's steward." Dak followed his gaze and saw a dwarf that emerged from one of the rooms. "Hugin? What happened here?"

Hugin was pale. "Varric, your brother…" He inhaled and wouldn't meet Varric's eyes. "That statue he brought out of the Deep Roads… Bartrand said it sang to him. Even after he sold it. I've been hiding in here, but the guards…" He gestured. "They're like crazed animals. I didn't dare go past them. Everyone in this house has gone mad."

Dak saw Leyla and Anders exchanging looks, no doubt suspecting that magic was involved somehow. That didn't make any sense, considering that the one responsible was a dwarf when incapable of using magic.

Dak then bent down to one of the guards, who appeared to be growing red-coloured lyrium from his skin. "What did he do to the guard to turn them to this?"

"He's been forcing them to eat lyrium. Some of the servants, he…" Hugin swallowed. "Cut pieces off them while they were still alive. He says he's trying to help them hear the song. Please, stop him."

"Bartrand's not exactly a nice guy, but…" Varric shook his head. "This doesn't sound like my brother."

"He's hearing things…" Hugin gestured. "Seeing things…" He gave Varric an apologetic look. "Talking to someone who's not there. That's when he's feeling good. Bartrand took the servants and locked himself inside the study. No one's come out for days. And those sodding lunatics just keep prowling the halls."

"Everything will be all right. You're safe now," Leyla assured.

"I wish I could believe that, human," said Hugin.

Varric gestured for Hugin to leave and then hefted Bianca. "Then we go in after him. Come on, let's finish this."

They burst into the room and saw Bartrand, but he was completely different from how they remembered him three years ago. He looked as if he hadn't eaten for days, and he was fidgeting uncontrollably. Judging from the smell, he hadn't taken a bath either. Additionally, he didn't appear to be aware of their presence, at least not for the moment, and kept walking up and down the room.

"I can't…" He lifted his hands. "I can't…" He shook his head. "Hear it anymore. I just need to hear the song again." He looked around wildly. "Just for a minute." He gestured wildly. "Stop saying that. I know I shouldn't have sold the idol to that woman. It was a mistake. A mistake…"

Varric held up a hand to stop his friends from attacking before stepping forward. "Bartrand, get ahold of yourself. Do you know where you are? Do you know what you've done?"

Bartrand spun around and spotted Varric, and a smile appeared on his face. "Varric. You'll help me, won't you, little brother? Help me find it again? You were always the good one…"

"Help you?" Varric just stared. "Bartrand, you left me to die. You left all your men to die. And for what? Some trinket?" He turned away and gestured at the carnage. "Look at yourself. Look at what you've done to the men and women who served you. Where's your nobility, Brother? Where's your dwarven honour?"

His words didn't seem to have any effect on his brother, so he turned to Leyla and Anders for help.

Anders shook his head. "This doesn't feel natural. If he wasn't a dwarf, I'd think a demon did this. His mind has been…" Anders took a step closer to Bartrand, narrowing his eyes. "Poisoned by something powerful." He gestured, the blue light of his magic surrounding his hands. His eyes were half closed in concentration as he weaved a spell into Bartrand. "That's all I can do." He gave Varric an apologetic look. "It won't last. I'm sorry."

Varric slowly turned back to his brother. Bartrand was looking around, his face growing horrified. "Varric?"

"I'm here." He didn't know what else to say.

"Varric, what have I done?"

"I don't know." He was almost grateful he didn't. "I honestly don't know."

Bartrand put his hands on Varric's shoulders. "Make it stop, little brother. Don't let me…" His voice was pleading. "Don't let House Tethras fall like this. I know…" There were actual tears in Bartrand's eyes. "I don't deserve it. But please, Varric. Don't leave me like this. Make it stop."

"Enough with the speeches. I'll get you to a healer, and you'll be fine. Sit tight, Brother. Help is on the way."

They stayed with him until Bartrand had been taken away. Once Bartrand had been taken away, they made their way outside. Dak placed a hand on his shoulder. "Did you need something, Varric?"

"A stiff drink, maybe. I feel like I've been kicked by a horse." He shook his head. It would have been easier if Bartrand had just been gloating about his wealth, and he'd been able to put a crossbow bolt between his eyes. You'd think being left for dead in the Deep Roads would have prepared me for Bartrand going nuts, but it really didn't."

"If I ever had doubts about who the better brother was, they're long gone. You did good."

Varric actually smiled. "Please, Dak, there was never any doubt. I'm the handsome, irresistible, charming one." He sighed. "Deal with Bartrand somehow. Maker, that'll be even more of a joy than it used to be." He adjusted his glove. "I still can't believe…" He sighed again. "What he did in that house. It's one thing to walk away and leave us to die, but that?"

"He didn't do this on his own. The artefact from the thaig warped his mind."

"Don't let completely off the hook. He chose the steel, the damned thing. He brought this on himself." Varric shrugged. "Anyway, thank you. I'll keep looking into who bought that blighted statue. At the very least, they need to be warned about what happened."

"Why do I get the feeling that Ida was gonna cause more problems down the road?" Leyla asked.

"Based on what we witnessed, I would say that a safe bet," said Fenris.

The Seeker looked at Varric, almost sympathetic. "So the idol drove your brother mad, driving him to commit those atrocities."

"As I said, it wasn't pretty. Now, maybe you can understand why I withheld the truth," said Varric.

"Do you ever find who your brother sold that idol to?" The Seeker asked.

Varric sighed. "Not until it was too late, and Leyla was right, would it cause trouble down the line."

The Seeker frowned. "And your brother is still alive?"

"Insane, but alive. Whatever that idol did to him, it fed off his greed, amplifying it. Believe me, Seeker, if we had known about that idol and what it would do, we would have left it in the Deep Roads."

"I see," The Seeker nodded. "Then continue, I need to know more."