Warden by Kevin Hardman Page B

where we’re headed,” he said, pointing, trying desperately to keep the emotion out of his voice.  “It’ll be dark soon so we’ll set up camp now.  We should get there sometime tomorrow.”
    Gale squinted in the direction he was pointing.  “What are those things in the sky?”
    “Carrion birds.”

 
    Chapter 11
     
    For once in his life, morning couldn’t come fast enough for Errol. He had carefully warded their campsite the night before, then had a quick dinner and tried to get some shuteye. However, with the carrion birds occupying a great deal of his thoughts, sleep had been hard to come by.  There would be some kind of body where those birds were congregated, and when he finally did fall asleep, his dreams had been filled with scenes of vultures and crows rabidly pecking at Tom’s corpse.
    Gale seemed more refreshed by her night’s slumber and - as Errol had to admit - was ready to travel even before he was.  This was as much time as he’d spent in her presence and he was surprised to find her to actually be pleasant company.  Talking with her kept him from thinking about what they were likely to find when they reached the location of the carrion birds.
     
    **********
     
    It was shortly after midday when they arrived at their destination.  Even without the birds flying above, it would have been hard to miss.  First of all, there was a boisterous commotion as they drew near - an utterly disharmonious blend of sound from not just a variety of birds but also other scavengers on the ground.
    In addition, there was also the smell. Gale wrinkled her nose as the scent of rot and decay - negligible at first - grew stronger as they travelled.  By the time they actually came into sight of the place where they were headed, the smell was pervasive but, thankfully, not overpowering. What was staggering, however, was the scene in front of them.
    They had just crested a modest hill, and saw below them a small enclosed plain comprising several acres. In the center of it stood a dilapidated wooden cabin. Throughout the acreage around the cabin, however, were numerous clumps of scavengers - some birds, some animals - attacking what had to be bodies.  And there were, apparently, a lot of them.
    “Oh my!” Gale gasped.
    “Come on,” Errol said, edging his horse forward.  He gripped his warding wand in the same hand that held the reins, and had his crossbow cocked and loaded in the other.
    They went forward slowly, headed towards the cabin, knowing that something was wickedly wrong here.  As they came near one of the places where the feeding frenzy was occurring, the animals and birds scattered.  Looking at what they had been devouring, Errol was shocked to see a dismembered leg.
    However, his surprise was compounded when a second group of scavengers fled at their approach, revealing that they had been gnawing on another limb - this time an arm.  A sudden realization dawned on both Errol and Gale at the same time as they looked around at the other packs of animals busy eating.
    “I think,” Gale began, barely able to catch her breath, “I think they’re all…they’re all body parts.”
    Errol just nodded as they continued forward.  However, the closer they got to the cabin, the more skittish the horses became. The big animals began neighing in distress, their large eyes rolling around in fear.  Finally, about thirty feet from the cabin, they refused to go any farther and even reared up in revolt.
    “Something in that cabin has them spooked,” Errol said.
    “Yeah, well, it’s got me spooked, too,” Gale commented.
    It was clear that the horses were going to bolt once they let go of the reins, and there was no place to tie them up.  That being the case, Errol held out his warding wand and put an impulse on them to stay put until he and Gale returned.
    That done, they warily approached the cabin with Errol in the lead. There was a window facing the direction they were coming from, but any glass it