Metaphoria

By K.B. Elijah

"Should I begin with the tale of the cannibalistic peacocks, perhaps? The molten field of liquorice mushrooms? Or maybe you'd like to hear about the obsequious coffee beans dancing to the tune of Hickory Dickory Dock?"

Twelve hours. Two archenemies. One plane.

Witch hunter Courser is relieved to be finally delivering the most wanted witch in the world to his grisly fate, but Devon doesn't plan on going quietly. Forced to endure each other's company on the interminably long flight, the pair soon realise that it's not just each other's tricks they have to survive…

A 90%+ dialogue dark fantasy tale from a dialogue competition winner, Metaphoria blends humour and fantasy with a healthy dollop of fourth wall destruction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Black Hare Press
• Release date: Jun 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201727680

Book preview

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Available from Black Hare Press in 2021

DIALOGUE

PENETRALIA by HARI NAVARRO

METAPHORIA by K.B. ELIJAH

DAMNED DWELLING by CHRIS HEWITT

COLLOQUY

INVESTIGATION FILE 79312AI7603 by CHRIS BANNOR

HUSKY by LIAM HOGAN

THE GOBLIN AND THE GIRL by M. LEIGH

ROOM AND SOUL by EMILY WILCOX

THE TOAD STONE by TIM MENDEES

Black Hare Press

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METAPHORIA title is

Copyright © 2021 K.B. ELIJAH

First published in Australia in June 2021 by Black Hare Press

The author retains the copyright of the works

featured in this publication.

All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this production may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher and copyright owner.

Formatted by Ben Thomas

Cover design by Dawn Burdett

Contents

Initialus

Sequelae

About the Author

About the Publisher

Initialus

"S hould I begin with the tale of the cannibalistic peacocks, perhaps? The molten field of liquorice mushrooms? Or maybe you’d like to hear about the obsequious coffee beans dancing to the tune of Hickory Dickory Dock ?"

Actually, Devon, it all sounds like bullshit, and I’d rather not hear about any of it.

Puppy, you’re just upset you don’t know what the word ‘obsequious’ means.

I’m surprised that you do, Courser snapped. And don’t call me that.

Call you what?

"That."

"Fine, I won’t call you that. Geez, puppy, do you still have that same stick up your ass after all this time?"

I said don’t call me ‘puppy’!

Oh, Devon said, stretching out the word. That’s what you meant.

You know perfectly well that I hate it.

Well, you shouldn’t be so cliché. A man called Courser, working for the Hunt? Really?

It’s a coincidence.

It’s pretty cute. Always makes me think of a bunch of floppy-eared beagles, trying not to stab themselves on their sharp pointy sticks.

You mean swords? Are you stuck in the eighteenth century again?

It was a better time, Devon mused with a dreamy sigh. Did I ever tell you about—

I don’t want to hear any of your stories, peacocks, or otherwise.

Courser, you’re no fun at all.

"What part of this gave you the impression it’s supposed to be fun?"

I know, I know, you’re escorting me to the gallows, and all jazz. But what’s a condemned man to do when he’s facing naught but the desolate exile of death at the end? What other chance will I have to find solace in a simple conversation with a fellow man—

You’re nothing like me.

...When I’m bound by the cold metal of my hollow prison—

Are you...are you talking about the aeroplane?

...Starved and malnourished, abandoned and forgotten—

Devon, we’ve been in the air for twenty minutes.

...Deprived of companionship and the warmth of human interaction—

And the plane is full of humans. Whom you hate. Can we stop this now?

...Destined to die alone, as the bloodied threads of the noose close around my neck...hey puppy, what do they use these days to kill witches?

Death by being thrown out of a plane. Courser let out an irritated breath.

That’s not funny.

"It’s