Chapter 152

As if on cue, Aaron Murdock told a joke and the table roared in laughter. Even though he was an old Vaudeville comedian, he didn’t look a day over twenty-five. His career was short lived when his fans began to notice that he wasn’t aging. We had to literally force him to “retire”, faking his death and bringing him into hiding. It would be safe for him to go out into public now, so many years later, but I guessed that he was so used to being in the castle and he found no reason to leave. Around a crowd, he didn’t know when to quit entertaining.

I smiled to myself and handed Jase to Leila. He immediately laid his head on her shoulder, and I knew that we would have to leave soon. I wasn’t sure how much more he could take. Then, I stood and tapped my fork against my glass. It pinged loudly, ringing throughout the dining hall, getting everyone’s attention. A moment later, it was quiet and all eyes were on me.

I raised my glass. &ldq