Henteria Chronicles Ch. 3 - The Peacekeepers -u... Instant

"It isn't just salvage," the Silver Strand man added, and he wasn't the same neat-voiced trader who had spoken earlier. His fingers trembled as if the ledger in his coat had shifted its weight.

Halvar added, softer, "You'll want Alden. He keeps the official records." Henteria Chronicles Ch. 3 - The Peacekeepers -U...

Then, before the Coalition could tie loose ends together, the device moved again. It vanished from the convoy in the night, taken by hands that seemed to know exactly where to turn. The result was the thing conspirators always expected: blame and suspicion ricocheted like damaged cannonballs. The Silver Strand accused the Fishermen's Collective of collusion. The Fishermen's Collective accused the Coalition of heavy-handedness. The Assembly demanded open inquiry; the Coalition answered with a public counsel that made promises none believed. "It isn't just salvage," the Silver Strand man

Ser Danek's eyes, which had learned to measure the sea's tempers, met hers. "They will always try again. Power wants growth. Men who profit from fear will seek new ways. But so will people who prefer to keep the world peaceful. The work of peacekeeping doesn't end when the battle stops. It begins." He keeps the official records

As Ser Danek left, the two women looked at each other. Mara's expression softened, the hard lines of her face thawing like ice after a storm. "You need to decide what you'll be," she said. "Will you stand in the hall with ink-stained hands, or take to the docks and make sure the men are paid fairly? Both are work."

Lysa met Mara's caution with a stubborn grin. "I don't want to be a hero," she said. "I want to understand why messages are being sent to dead houses in old neighborhoods."

The Peacekeeper's pen paused. "Inspection is an option," he said. "But salvage rights complicate the claims. If the chest is allied to contraband or to a disputed cargo, then the Coalition must determine ownership before we can sanction recovery."