Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem

In the distance, the hunt in the forest was still raging.

It was too far away to hear any screams, but the roars of wild beasts echoed through the trees.

Tarquin glanced down at the numbers glowing on his wristband.

Over fifty illegal poachers had slipped into these woods-now, more than half of them were dead.

Only twenty-two left.

Not a flicker of surprise or sympathy crossed Tarquin's face.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, he thought. They brought this on themselves.

He tapped his wristband, switching to the navigation screen, and started trekking toward the lodge. There were still a few dozen poachers back at the house waiting to be dealt with.

The forest was wild and thick. No trails, just tangled roots and brambles everywhere.

Lucky for him, Tarquin was no stranger to the wilderness. With his digital map guiding him, he found the old cabins soon enough.

The elders' cabins were a circle of eight wooden lodges, each one snug against the next.

All two-story, all built from sturdy oak, all practically identical.

Six of the elders had a place of their own. Elysia and the kids shared another. The last was a communal storeroom, stacked with supplies and food-canned beans, jerky, crackers, peanut butter, and all sorts of homey essentials.

with twinkling fairy lights. The glow was soft, not too bright, but magical all

tiny fireflies, wrapping

woods, the sight gave Tarquin

thinking of Elysia and the kids

forward, ready to

Suddenly-

He stopped dead, frozen

it: he'd just stepped on

move and he'd be blown

to the cabins. The elders were all legends in their own right-ho way they'd

it. Waiting for

struck him. His eyes darted toward the cabins,

quiet. He stood there, one foot pressing down on

scared-just a

(and a very numb leg), he finally

tracksuit;

had a certain air about them-men you

him?" one asked, gaze

about it," the

who they were. He

the second he triggered the mine. Walter was a

and he'd already met Bernard, so these two had to