Caspian stayed out, scanning the horizon for a long time. The mood among the sailors was one of cautious delight: the damage done by the whales was reparable without having to put into dock, and there was a bountiful catch to be had with the spare nets.
The men were pulling in exotic catches of all kinds. Some were edible, other had uses in medicine, building, clothing, or other facets of life. The clouds at the horizon hung there, threatening, but coming no closer.
For that, at least, Caspian was grateful.
But he saw no Leviathan.
Only once, he spotted something large enough. It turned out to be something they had dubbed a Mast-fish, and Edmar quickly ordered the rowboats lowered to hunt it. An enormous creature that was long and had the appearance of driftwood, it was instead something akin to a giant sea serpent.
The only way they had found to hunt the creature was in rowboats to draw near as it surfaced and harpoon it at close range.
Once the creature was disturbed it would move rapidly, and ropes attached to the harpoons would draw the rowboats alongside it. The ship would do its best to stay within visual range as the sailors tired out the Mast-fish and struck it whenever they were able, using sealed barrels attached to more harpoons to keep it from diving.
As the flurry of the chase began, Caspian closed his eyes and went to check on Naomi. He knew there was no way Edmar would leave even if a leviathan came now; nor should he, with many of the men off-ship in the smaller boats. They could not be left behind.
Departure would have to wait for everyone to be back aboard. Dismantling the Mast-fish would take hours, as its tough hide was difficult to cut. It could be used for sturdy armor or used in place of wood for less breakable ships.
The meat was delicious and seemed not to go bad, and the bones were used in fine carvings and jewelry. They had a slightly luminous quality to them that was highly prized. Every part of the large animal would be used.
On the bright side, hopefully Edmar would be satisfied with the conquest and more willing to head home quickly. Though he had technically ordered everyone to look for Leviathan, he would not have liked to return with nothing to show for it.
Caspian grabbed some food and water. Naomi must be hungry and thirsty after the long hours alone.
Entering the hold where he'd left his wife, he had to let his eyes adjust to the darkness.
"Naomi?" He asked softly.
"Here," She said, coming from behind some supplies. She was still dressed in the ill-fitting male clothing, and he almost chuckled to look at her.
He couldn't contain a smile, and she smiled back self-consciously.
"Is it safe now?" She asked. Hours had passed with no word, and he felt a little guilty about the worry on her face.
"No. I cannot say how long we will be here. Father is unconscious, and Edmar says we will leave when we are able, but does not seem firm on that idea."
"Why? Surely your father should be taken home for treatment?" Naomi fretted.
Her husband sighed, "He does not believe it to be urgent, or he does not care." His brother's cavalier attitude regarding their father's health bothered him more than he wanted to admit.
An unwelcome thought at the back of his mind suggested maybe his brother wanted to hasten their father's demise to take control of the people. He rejected it outright. His brother was a bully at times, but could not be so heartless.
"I am sorry," Naomi offered, reaching forward to take one of his hands after Caspian set down the food and water. It was his injured one, he realized, and she was inspecting it as if to check on its healing.
"Have you washed this?" She asked. He cringed a little. She was in such danger, and had been shut away for hours, and still only thought of others.
"No," Caspian admitted. "I will be fine." It had already scabbed over long ago.
"I hope you're right," Naomi grimaced, and he softened. If she wouldn't think of herself, he would have to.
"What do you need?" He asked.
"I need nothing, for now," She replied.
"What will you need soon?" Caspian rephrased, a little frustrated at her vagueness.
"You have brought food and water," She said, "I will let you know if I need something else."
For a moment he considered moving her to a place that had a porthole she could look out, and then cover as needed, but the outside walls of the ship were most vulnerable to attack or surveillance.
"I'm sorry I've trapped you in here," He said. "It was not my intention."
"It is not your fault," Naomi smiled. "I am content under your protection."
Her words caused him a fresh wave of guilt and burden. He'd forced her to depend on him entirely, and she claimed to be content? What kind of woman had he married?
He knew she wasn't lazy, for all the chores she'd done at home. She was a puzzle.
"It will be hours before we can leave," Caspian said. "Do you have need of company?"
"That would be nice," She admitted. He looked around, noticing how dark and bleak the hold was. No one was meant to spend significant time in here.
He went to a wall to sit down against it, and she came over to sit beside him, close, but not touching. She had brought the food over with her and they ate and drank together. It was refreshing, and she seemed to regain a bit of energy.
"Are you really all right?" He asked. She seemed to be fine, but his mother always told him it was better to ask than to assume things like that.
"I will be, I'm sure," She said quietly.
"Does that mean no?" He turned his head to look at her. Could she not just be straightforward?
"I am frightened. The only other world I have been in was the Darkness. This is different, but the fear has stayed with me. Being closed in here with out much light is... difficult. I did not anticipate that." She admitted, looking down at her hands.
"Tell me about the Darkness," He invited, and she glanced at him before looking down while she spoke.
"There is no light, and no sound. You cannot see your hand in front of your eyes. There is no sun, nor moon, nor stars. If you scream, your own ears cannot hear you. If you can build a fire, it helps, but everything is still muted, and darkened. As if the Darkness is alive, and attacking the light to extinguish it." She halted here and there, struggling to describe the world she had spent much time in. "It is… oppressive. It can drive someone insane."
"How is it entered?" He asked. He knew of no way other than the leviathan to go between worlds. "Why did your people go there?"
"Originally, we were cursed by halflings and trapped in the Darkness for generations. Once we found our way back home with the use of herbs and items from our forebears… in retrospect, it was likely the Void in disguise that allowed us to begin coming back to our world. I suppose it would have taken great luck and skill to discover the way back on our own."
"And now?" He asked.
"Eventually we used wood soaked in herbs as portal-creators. A stick from this world, herbs from the Darkness. There had to be a mixture for the connection to take place. Some worked better than others, but those were all destroyed after the war. We cannot go back and risk the Void entering our world again."
Caspian absorbed all this information silently, laying it against his own experiences.
Naomi was shivering now, whether from the chill of the day drawing to a close or the memories she was wading through, he couldn't tell.
Moved by compassion he didn't know he possessed, he took off his coat and put it around her shoulders. She smiled at him gratefully, but with unmistakable exhaustion from the emotional toll of the day. She yawned behind her hand, and shivered again.
He scooted closer and put his arm around her shoulders to warm her. Naomi laid her head on his shoulder and nestled into his body heat. He was reminded of their first night together, and laying an extra blanket over her to keep her warm.
Was the woman eternally cold?
"Thank you," she mumbled sleepily. "For looking after me."
His heartbeat picked up despite him willing it to settle. He closed his eyes and laid his cheek against his cap, which still covered Naomi's hair. He took a deep breath and wished for them to be safe at home soon.