About Martha Gouws
I write dark epic fantasy filled with old myths, dangerous magic, flawed heroes, and secrets that refuse to stay buried. I’m drawn to stories where good and evil aren’t easily separated, where power comes at a price, and where the people who matter most are often the ones who refuse to give up.
My first novel, The Keeper’s Blood, follows Egorh Bronbeck, a prince bound to a power he never wanted, betrayed by those he trusted, and murdered for the blood in his veins. But death can’t hold him. His story is one of betrayal, vengeance, and a fate he never chose. The series continues with The Kwan People (coming in 2026)
I love building worlds that feel alive, characters who are far from perfect, and stories that linger long after the last page.
I live in a small town on the shores of a famous lagoon in the Western Cape, where you can sometimes see all four seasons in a single day. The gulls and the owls tell me what time it is, and the wild, changeable weather finds its way into my stories.
If you enjoy dark, immersive fantasy, morally complex characters, and magic with a dangerous edge, welcome to my world.
An Epic Dark Fantasy
Born to guard a power that could shatter kingdoms. Murdered by his own brothers. Reborn with no memory of who he is.Egorh was the youngest son of a king and the chosen Keeper of the Orinium, a living metal bound by blood. When his jealous brothers drove a blade between his ribs, his soul was ferried across worlds to Earth, and the kingdom of Kramac shook with its king's wrath.
Now he's a boy with a glowing orb that wakes in his palm whenever danger nears, an amulet he's forbidden to remove, and a birthmark he's afraid to explain. He keeps every secret. Until the day he tears the amulet off.
Far away, the exiled sorceress Zinnia has been waiting. To break the Orinium's seal, she needs the Keeper dead, and she'll harvest every sorrow in the land to do it. Her slavers are already on the road. Her monsters are already hunting. And everyone Egorh loves is standing in her path.
He has very little time to master a power he barely understands, and one choice to make: keep running, or finally fight.
An epic fantasy of betrayal, dark magic, and the price of a power you never asked for, for readers who love dense mythology, reluctant heroes, and villains who are truly terrifying.
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NEW TO THE STORY?
Read the first chapters free and discover where Egorh’s journey begins.
Want to Discover What Came Before?
Before Egorh's story begins, another story must be told.
High Priest of Kramac is the free prequel to The Keeper's Blood.
Discover the ancient secrets, the betrayal, and the mysterious forces that lie behind Egorh's story.
You can also explore selected chapters from The Keeper's Blood, with cinematic scenes from Egorh's journey.
The adventure begins here.