Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1254

Early the next morning, Elysia was up before sunrise.

After chatting with the innkeeper, she rolled up her sleeves and made scrambled eggs and pancakes for the kids, along with some simple sides—crispy bacon, hashbrowns, and a bowl of fresh fruit.

She knew everyone had different tastes, and the kids hadn’t really eaten much the night before—the local food just wasn’t what they were used to. Today was the first day they’d be heading into the mountains, and from here on out, it was going to be picnic meals and campfire food for a while. Elysia wanted to make sure her family got a good breakfast in them while they could.

The innkeeper and his wife were true Darkfort City locals, blunt and friendly. They went on and on about how adorable the kids were, then started complimenting Elysia, and even threw in some praise for Tarquin.

“I swear, your whole family looks like you stepped out of a magazine!” the innkeeper’s wife said. “We’ve had so many families stay here over the years, but none as good-looking as yours!”

After all the flattery, she turned serious for a moment, giving them some advice:

“When you head up the mountain, follow the marked trail. Stick to the signs—don’t wander off on the smaller paths, it’s easy to get lost out there. And if you see a sign telling you not to go somewhere, don’t ignore it. Most of these mountains are just untouched wilderness—real wild, not part of any park. Nobody goes in there. It’s dangerous.”

She lowered her voice. “Just last week, they carried out a few bodies. Some folks went off-trail, adventurers or something. They got attacked by wild animals—one had his head bashed in, another was half-eaten. Whatever did it, it wasn’t human. There’s all kinds of dangerous creatures out there, not just bears or wolves. Some say there’s things in those woods that nobody’s ever seen.”

“Don’t go exploring just because you’re curious,” she added. “It’s not worth it.”

Elysia nodded, genuinely grateful for the warning.

Maybe it was all her years living in the mountains, but she wasn’t scared so much as concerned for the kids. She finished up breakfast and went to wake them.

Over coffee, she told Tarquin about the deaths in the woods. Tarquin just nodded. “It was a group of wildlife photographers—snuck into the restricted area to get pictures. They got mauled by animals. The coroner found animal DNA in the wounds—nothing to do with people.”

Elysia frowned, letting out a sigh. She felt bad for them. She didn’t mind going into the mountains herself, but she’d never recommend it to people who didn’t know what they were doing. The wild was no joke.

“If I hadn’t lived out here for years, and if it weren’t for White and Evan, I’d never drag my family out here for an adventure,” she said. “There’s so many fun places in the world—you don’t have to choose the most dangerous one. It’s not worth risking your life.”

“No worries,” Tarquin said, giving her a reassuring smile. “We’ll be fine. I’ve lived in these hills for five years and never seen anything like ‘wild men.’ Still, we’ll keep our guard up.”

After breakfast, the seven of them set out—just family, no bodyguards, no entourage.

The first part of the hike was along a narrow, winding trail. Evan and White led the way, the boys practically bouncing with excitement. The wilderness was home for them—Evan especially, who’d grown up at the foot of these mountains and knew every rock and tree.

Baby, on the other hand, was more used to being pampered by Keith Garcia. Not much stamina. After a little while, she started to lag behind, her little legs struggling to keep up.

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