Tales of Metamorphosis

In a mythical world where nothing is what it seems, three people meet their destiny: In Stone Maiden, craftsman Nathaniel comes face-to-face with a dangerous harpy who threatens everything he holds dear. In Night Flight, temple servant Minerva has to protect a secret package with her life. And in Blood Heart, blacksmith's helper Matteo tries to woo a bewitching princess with a special gift. The three have never met, but unbeknownst to them, each of their decisions will touch the lives of the others. Contains three interrelated fantasy short stories of approx. 1,500 words each. What Readers Have to Say "Beautiful use of language." - Mel Hartman, fantasy author "Atmospherically and cinematically written." - Hay van den Munckhof, fantasy author "It's wonderful how Judy Koot pulls the reader into her fictional world." - A reader Excerpt Her sharp teeth were smeared with blood. I groaned. There was a deep wound in my forearm. A harpy stood before me, a monster with the body of an eagle and the head of a woman. She stared at me pitilessly. Her eyes were golden, with narrow, deep red pupils. Her wings glittered myriad shades of purple and gold in the sunlight. I’d never seen anything so beautiful and hardly dared to finish her off, but the voice of my old master shot through my mind: “The final blow, Nathaniel! It’s a matter of life or death.” Failure wasn’t an option. I shuffled back, rummaging cautiously in my leather apron until my fingers found the cold metal handle. The glistening eyes of the harpy did not leave me for a second. What if it went wrong? My hand trembled, and I gripped on so tightly my knuckles hurt. Now! I thought and threw myself forward. I spoke an incantation and the metal lit up. With a quick movement I plunged it into the harpy’s chest. A flash of light blinded me and my weapon clattered to the ground.