CHAPTER 38

Russel was breathing hard, his entire body wracked with more pain than he ever felt before. Not even the fight with the ghouls and getting impaled by one of their talon-claws had anything on what his father did to him. At his feet, he saw Carter’s corpse. Was the skin already going pale? Did that happen that fast or was he losing his mind? He wasn’t sure and also wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer one way or the other. What he did know was that somehow, he actually won the challenge. Carter Ismael Polver, the 23rd king of Oclan, was dead and he had beaten him. That now made him the king. The 24th king. The entire room suddenly went stone cold silent. Everyone went still. Even the sounds of Lola crying stopped. He glanced over and found her staring at him, her eyes wide with shock. Everyone’s eyes, he noticed, were wide with shock. Not a single person in that throne room had any clue what just happened. Which included Russel, despite the fact that he had been the one doing all t