Novels by Malatjie Katlego

Kims jaw hung open, his mind refusing to process what his eyes were telling him.Am I hallucinating?Kage had been walking slowly, methodically, each step deliberate. Then, between one heartbeat and the next, he vanished. Not running. Not leaping. Simply gone, leaving only a faint trace of purple aura where hed stood, already dissolving into the dark.The next instant, he was in the middle of the horde, standing where the mutants had circled Blade like vultures waiting for the last breath to leave a corpse.Blades voice barely escaped his throat. What. Kage?His vision swam with blood and pain, but even through the haze, the silhouette in front of him was unmistakable.Kage stared down at his own hands, just as confused as everyone else. How did I get here?Hed been across the chamber a heartbeat ago. He hadnt run. Hadnt consciously moved at all. It was as if his body had acted without him, as if reality itself had simply picked him up and set him down somewhere else.The mutants claw

Blade went berserk.Im gonna kill you bastards. His voice tore through the cavern, raw and primal.The three alpha hounds stood motionless at the rear, content to let their pack do the killing. But Blade intercepted, steel meeting claw as he threw himself between the ravening mob and his fallen teammates, his sword singing a song of desperate fury through the blood soaked air.Now you face me, Blade growled, planting himself like an immovable wall.Roy hit the ground hard, his vision swimming crimson. Through the haze of blood and pain, he saw a familiar silhouette cutting through the horde.Wait, isnt that, Captain? His voice came out broken, barely a whisper.Huh? Captain? Kages head snapped up in disbelief.Blade stood there breathing heavily, coughing blood with each ragged breath. He swayed on his feet, struggling to maintain his stance while the others lay scattered and broken, especially Roy, who had finally succumbed to unconsciousness.Captain. How are you even standing? Were

All except Alice. She remained collapsed on the ground, her confidence and her mind both shattered beyond anything the others could reach.Alice, can you hear me? Hello, Alice.Blade tried calling her name, but she didnt respond. She didnt even seem to hear him. Tears fell silently from eyes that stared at nothing.Hey, Alice. Can you fight?Nothing came back except the quiet sound of weeping.Cap, leave her be, Kage said quietly. She has no will to fight anymore. Let her be. We fight without her.Blade nodded, grim and resigned. Then we fight with what we have.The air changed a moment later. A thick, oppressive crimson aura began to seep into the chamber, slow and heavy, like blood spreading through water. It didnt drift. It oozed, thick and wrong, as if the air itself had started to bleed.The temperature spiked hard enough to make breathing difficult, the atmosphere suddenly tasting of copper and ash and something older than either.The hounds stopped circling. All of them turned

Who dares disturb my slumber.The voice didnt speak. It crawled. Each syllable oozed through the air like venom through veins, slow and deliberate, carrying the weight of something that had been sleeping in these depths for years beyond counting. Something that had waited in the dark, patient and hungry, while the world above forgot it existed.The temperature dropped. Not gradually, instantly. As if winter itself had been exhaled into the chamber.Roys barrier flickered. The translucent dome that had held back dozens of flame wreathed hounds suddenly seemed as fragile as morning frost under a burning sun.The party stood frozen, their bodies locked in place by an instinct older than thought, older than reason, the preys paralysis when the apex predator finally opens its eyes.The real threat had awakened. And it knew they were there.Wh, what is that. Kims voice cracked like breaking glass. The words barely made it past his lips. His hands trembled so violently that the potion bottle

The moment the creature roared, the dungeon seemed to answer. Stone trembled beneath Kages boots. Dust sifted from the ceiling. The enormous lizardman lowered its greatsword, its black scales catching the faint green light of the cavern. Runes along the blade pulsed once, bathing the chamber in a dim crimson glow.Kages smile faded. He tightened his grip on the dagger. Alright.Blade shifted beside him, crimson energy crawling over his battered body. Blood continued to run from the cut along his forehead, disappearing beneath the collar of his armor. Dont get careless, he said. Kage glanced at him. Youre saying that to me? Im saying it because youre the one most likely to ignore me.Kage considered arguing. Then the boss moved. He barely saw it. One moment the creature stood across the chamber. The next, its greatsword was already coming down. Move.Blade shoved Kage aside. The blade struck the floor. BOOM. Stone erupted beneath them. Kage rolled across the ground, his shoulder slammi

Move. Kage dropped. A jagged blade sliced through the air above his head and buried itself in the stone wall behind him. He stared at it. Then slowly looked over his shoulder. Okay. Five lizardmen were charging straight toward him. That explains the shouting. KAGE. IM MOVING. He scrambled backward just as the first lizardman lunged. Its claws scraped against his chestplate. Kage stumbled, nearly losing his balance. Damn it. He caught himself, twisted his body, and drove his dagger into the creatures side. The blade barely penetrated the scales. Kages expression flattened. I hate ERank dungeons.The lizardman snarled. Oh, come on. It swung. Kage ducked. The creatures club smashed into the wall behind him. Stone exploded across the tunnel. Okay. Definitely hate them. Stop playing around. Blades voice cut through the chaos. The captain charged past Kage, longsword flashing as he intercepted another lizardman. Focus. Blades sword struck the creature across the chest. The lizardman stagger