131 lines
3.1 KiB
TeX
131 lines
3.1 KiB
TeX
\herosection{Three Offenses}{chapters/2026.03.04-ThreeOffenses/image/three-offenses.jpg}
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\DROPCAP{../../dropcap_c/dropC.png}arven had not spoken to Halric in years.
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The quarrel had begun with timber and coin — \\
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some small matter of a trade\\
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that had gone awry.\\
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Halric had shrugged it off.\\
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Carven had felt cheated.
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From that day forward the two men \\
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lived along the same harbor as though\\
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separated by an ocean.
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Carven told himself \\
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some people simply could not be trusted.
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And small things kept happening.
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One morning Carven arrived at the quay \\
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and found his fishing net hanging from\\
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a post, rinsed clean and drying in the wind.
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He scowled.
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He had left the net soaking overnight \\
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to loosen the knots.\\
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Now it hung stiff\\
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in the sun.
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Halric must have pulled it out.
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Carven muttered to himself \\
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the whole morning while he worked.
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The following week he found a heavy cargo line untied \\
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and retied to a different post.\\
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The knot was Halric's work — \\
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he recognized the turn of it at once.
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Carven felt his jaw tighten.
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So now Halric thought his knots were not good enough.
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And then, one evening, \\
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a lantern appeared near the edge of the quay \\
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where Carven often worked after dusk.
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Carven stared at it with a sour expression.
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A warning, no doubt.\\
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A quiet insult.
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As though he could not see where he was walking.
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That did it.
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Carven carried the grievance for two days, \\
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letting it simmer and harden \\
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until he could bear it no longer.
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On the third morning \\
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the harbor bustled with its usual noise — \\
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ropes creaking, gulls calling, \\
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men shouting across the water.
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Carven stepped into the open space of the quay.
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``Halric,'' he called, \\
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loudly enough for all the dockworkers to hear.
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``Yes?'' he said, still coiling a rope.
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``All you ever do is try to harass and embarrass me.''
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Halric blinked in surprise.
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``How so?''
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Carven spread his hands sharply.
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``For example, you dragged my nets \\
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out of the water last week.''
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Halric answered calmly.
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``They had come loose \\
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and were scraping barnacles in the low tide.\\
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In another hour they would have been ruined.''
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A few of the men nearby nodded.
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Carven felt heat rise in his face but pressed on.
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``And you untied the cargo line I secured.''
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One of the dockhands spoke up from behind him.
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``That was the night \\
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that rush shipment came in for the king.\\
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Your crate had to be moved right quick.\\
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Halric helped shift it.''
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Carven hesitated.
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Then he pointed toward the lantern.
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``And what about the lantern you hung there? \\
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As if I can't see where I'm walking.''
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An older fisherman chuckled softly.
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``That wasn't about you.\\
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Old Brenn ain't seeing so well anymore.\\
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Nearly fell off the dock there two nights ago.\\
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I mentioned it to Halric.\\
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He said he'd do something about it.''
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The harbor grew quiet.
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Carven stood in the middle of the quay, \\
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the words he had prepared, \\
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suddenly sand in his mouth.
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Halric studied him for a moment — \\
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not angrily, not triumphantly, \\
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simply with a kind of puzzled patience.
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``Honestly,'' he said with a shrug,\\
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I wasn't thinking of you at all.''
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