A Witch's Comeback: Sapphic Short Story

A WITCH’S COMEBACK A.R. HALL MOON BOUND PRESS, LLC A Witch’s Comeback All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2023 by A.R. Hall Published by Moon Bound Press, LLC 2023 This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to persons living or dead, places, or events are entirely coincidence. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Warning: This book is intended for a mature audience. It contains adult themes, language, sexual situations, nudity, and other content not intended for children. CONTENTS Foreword Prologue 1. Chapter One Piper 2. Chapter Two Sabrina 3. Chapter Three Piper 4. Chapter Four Sabrina 5. Chapter Five Piper 6. Chapter Six Sabrina 7. Chapter Seven Piper 8. Chapter Eight Sabrina About A.R. Hall Also by A.R. Hall FOREWORD Dear Reader, If you’re getting ready to read this, you most likely recently finished A Witch’s Familiar. I can tell you, the contents of this book, are not the same as the one that came before. What started as a short and spicy story grew into something with more emotion. Sabrina and Piper’s story isn’t finished, I’m not sure it’s even halfway done. I couldn’t put off sharing some of their story though. So, for now, you get a glimpse into their story. They’ll eventually get their HEA… but there’s at least a happy for now ending. A.R. Hall PROLOGUE SABRINA Unread. Blocked? Every message she’d sent to Piper, and they had been sporadic over the last year, was left unread. She couldn’t blame her ex. With the way Sabrina left, it wouldn’t surprise her if Piper never wanted to hear from her again. Sabrina knew she was most likely blocked. It had been two years since she left Nettogrof Hollow. Their small town in the south that was hidden away. Both its location and the wards that were put up during the Dark Times kept it an oasis for those with magical abilities. The Dark Times had been tough on everyone. When the world learned of the existence of magic, it had created a war zone. No one was safe. It was then that those with gifts learned what the mundane would do, a witch hunt just as history had taught time and time again. Everyone from the magical community hid as best as they could. As the lower half of their country looked like something out of an apocalyptic picture, their little town remained hidden. That had been a couple of generations ago and the world rebuilt around them. Nettogrof Hollow remained the same. Small. Simple. Safe. The world may have grown to understand magic was real, but the Dark Times taught the magical community that the existence of the others couldn’t be revealed to the mundane. It wasn’t safe enough. All they had now were the stories passed down, but it was enough to make them wary. It wasn’t until Sabrina left the hidden haven of Nettogrof Hollow, that she realized how true the stories passed down were. After her parents died a little over a year ago, she needed to get out of that town. She knew she was leaving her sister and coven behind, but the dreamer in her couldn’t stay. It was as if the walls were closing in and she would suffocate if she stayed. She’d honestly thought Piper would come with her. They could have traveled the world together. Instead, her ex only looked at her as if she’d become a stranger. Dirt kicked up behind her heeled boots as she picked up the pace and all but threw her suitcase in the back of the van then passed off her keyboard case carefully to her new friend. “All set?” Milo smiled before shaking his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes. He’d been organizing the equipment in the back of the van. Sabrina nodded. “I’m here.” She took a glance back at the circus behind her. She’d been traveling with them for nearly a year and they were having a break before their next tour. Two months may not seem like long to some people, but she was afraid to sit still for too long. When she first left Nettogrof Hollow, Circum Magicae had been performing a state away, and it made sense to go with something somewhat familiar. Circum Magicae was a haven for those with magical abilities. During the Dark Times, they provided safety for those afraid to be alone. While the world wasn’t in complete chaos, it was a safety net she needed when she left home. It took several months for her to call her sister and let her know where she was or what she was doing. Sabrina honestly didn’t want to hear the disappointment in her older sister’s tone. Her reaction surprised her, she accepted her feelings and need for an escape. Daphne told her she missed her and to call more. Sabrina hadn’t. She couldn’t. It had been hard enough to not go running home just hearing her sister’s voice. They’d always been close before. Sabrina needed this though. It was time to be selfish. The dates of the circus had always been known. A year of traveling before having to return home, but she wasn’t ready. It was luck when she ran into this wild group a few nights ago performing at a local bar. They were doing a tour of their own with no end date insight. It had been too perfect. It lined up just as she needed it to. They were great, and it gave her an excuse to open up the keyboard she rarely got to play. Sabrina didn’t know the story of the previous keyboard player. Hell, she didn’t know the story of any of these people.