The Attached

As he walked out the door Jane gave him a tip.

"Thank you Ma'am, you have a very beautiful wife." He said taking the tip from Jane's left hand seeing the ring on her finger.

"Thank you very much." Jane said smiling then closed the door behind her.

They got into the shower after breakfast and got ready to leave. They left the hotel got on their plane and left for home. When Alex and Jane got home, they unpacked and they both took a few days off from work to relax.

CHAPTER FIVE

Ma was in the kitchen making breakfast. Alex and Jane just woke up and kissed each other good morning. Jane went to the kitchen to make them all some coffee while Alex was in the bathroom.

"Good morning Ma, did you sleep well?" Jane greeted looking very tired.

"Good morning my girl, yes thank you I slept very well."

Alex came waltzing through the kitchen door smiling widely and happy as can be.

"Good morning Ma."

"Good morning my child, you look very chirpy this morning?"

"I just feel happy this morning, that's all."

"I couldn't sleep much. I called the security company last night after you fell asleep. They're going to install cameras in and outside the house this afternoon and link it to my mobile and laptop via internet. Their installing censors as well."

"Did you do all that for me Honey?" Alex asked taking a sip of her coffee.

"Yes I did, for you and the child or children." Jane answered as she dished up for the three of them.

"There is so much love between the two of you. I think this child or children would be very lucky to have you as parents."

Ma said as they all walked to the dining room to eat their breakfast.

"Thank you Ma, I wouldn't be a good parent if it wasn't for you taking my brother and I in after our father died."

"Thank you my child, your mother and father were dear friends of mine. Before they died I promised that I would take care of you and I did. You and Max grew up beautifully physically and mentally. I should say the two of you saved me more. I couldn't have children of my own; you were a blessing to me when I adopted you."

Alex covered Ma's hand with her own on top of the table. Just then there was a knock on the door.

"Who could that be at this hour of the morning?" Jane asked standing up to go answer the door.

It was Max. He was bruised and looked very weak. As Jane opened the door he fell into her arms. Jane dragged him to the couch and set him down carefully.

"Alex, Ma come quick, it's Max! He looks badly beaten!"

Alex and Ma rushed to the lounge.

Jane removed his shirt to see if he had any serious injuries, he had a deep gash in his stomach. Jane held her left hand over Max's head, the other over his wounded stomach and cast a spell to heal his wounds.

"Alex can you please get a glass of water for your brother? Ma there's clean hand towels in the cupboard under the basin in the bathroom; wet it with warm water but not too hot? We have to break his fever."

Alex and Ma did as Jane asked. Jane straightened Max's legs onto the couch and put a pillow under his head.

As Ma cleaned his forehead with one cloth and covered his forehead with the other he opened his eyes and tried to sit up. He collapsed again so Alex and Jane helped him sit up. Ma held the glass of water for him to drink. He gladly took it and emptied the whole glass.

"What happened to you?" Ma asked while taking the empty glass from him.

"We got a tip as to where Brumilda might be. I thought we could handle her on our own. She attacked us and took us out one by one. I'm the only one that survived. I took two other men with me, two of the new trainees. Their dead, she killed them both."

"Max, you should have contacted us first. You could have died." Alex said taking Max's hands into her hands.

"I know that now sis." He broke out crying.

"He did a good thing by coming to us first Baby. Don't be so hard on him. Where were you attacked?" Jane asked him.

Max kissed his sisters hands and wiped off his tears.

"We went to the nature reserve just on the outskirts of Durban. We spotted smoke in the distance so we went to check it out. Just as we reached a small wooden shack she attacked us."

Ma went to the kitchen to dish up some of the leftover food for Max. Jane went to their room to fetch him a clean shirt.

When they returned to the lounge Jane gave him the shirt and he put it on and took the food from Ma. While he was eating Jane motioned to Alex and Ma to go to the dining room.

"If he is still alive she must have got out of there in a hurry. If she was still there she would have made sure that he was dead." Jane said as they sat down at the table.

"True, I think two of us should go down and see if we can find a clue to where she might go next." Ma said as she looked at Jane.

"I agree Ma. I think that you and I can go while Alex stays here and looks after Max." Jane said as she looked at Alex.

"Then we can leave now so we can get there before it gets dark. I know the area Max was talking about very well." Ma answered.

"It's settled then."

"Don't I get a say in this matter?" Alex asked them.

"Baby I know you want to catch that hag as much as I do, but your brother needs you the most now, besides you are pregnant, I'm not allowing you to put yourself or your beautiful growing tummy in danger."

"Your right Honey, I will gather the family here and get them ready. Just call me when you get there and tell me what you find. So I can tell them what the plan would be?"

"We will do that my child." Ma answered Alex giving her a tight squeeze.

Ma and Jane got ready to leave and Alex sat with her brother in the lounge watching him as he slept. She had a bad feeling as her stomach started churning, making a chill run up her spine.

Ma went to get in the car. Jane gave Alex a hug and stole a kiss. Their tongues danced for a few seconds then they broke the kiss.

"Please be careful out there Honey? You know how dangerous this woman can be." Alex said as she squeezed Jane tighter in their embrace.

"I know that, I will be careful my Baby. Don't worry about me or Ma."

Jane turned around and got in the car. Just as Ma and Jane drove through the gate the security company arrived.

Jane spoke to the technician through the car window. He explained to her that she will get a link by email to her phone and laptop as soon as everything is set up. They drove down to the house and Jane and Ma started our journey.

It was still early in the morning and they were making good time with their trip. The long drive was silent and awkward. Neither Ma nor Jane had anything to say at that moment.

Back home Max was in and out of sleep. Constantly waking up with a fright and beating heart.

"Sis?" He called to Alex as he opened his eyes.

"I'm right here Max." Alex answered him.

The security company just left. She was sitting on the couch by his feet, she through a blanket over him after Jane and Ma had left. He sat up folding the blanket onto his legs then lifted his shirt to see his wounds.

"Who healed me Sis?" He asked in confusion.

"Jane did after she put you on the couch. You fell into her arms when she opened the door." Alex explained.

"Remind me to thank her, where is she and where is Ma?"

"They went to the shack to see if they could find a clue to where Brumilda might go next."

"Sis, Brumilda has been training the others just to steel their powers. She is stronger than she was before. They have to be extra careful." Max said with concern.

"Okay I'll send Jane a message to her phone."

Alex took her phone into her hands and started typing a message to Jane and pressed send.

Just outside the gate at the nature reserve Jane got a message on her phone explaining what Max said.

"Alex says that Max found out Brumilda was training those people just to steel their powers. She is stronger than ever before and that we must be careful." Jane read from her phone.

"That woman truly is evil." Ma answered Jane.

Two guards at the gate came to their windows asking if they had permission to enter the reserve. When they saw Ma they let them in anyway. Jane just looked at Ma in question.

"I told you that I knew this area well, I collect my herbs in the reserve that I can't buy in stores or grow in my own garden." She explained to Jane.

Jane just nodded and watched the road. They followed a narrow and bumpy road deep into the woods. They reached a small wooden shack in the middle of nowhere and slowly got out of the car. As they got out of the car Jane received the email from the security company with the link to the cameras they installed.

Carefully looking around for any sign of danger they walked up to the door of the shack. It smelled musty and creaked everywhere they stepped, the wood was rotten so they tread carefully through the door. The image they saw in front of them was horrific.

The two men that came with Max were butchered. There was blood everywhere they looked. Ma looked around while Jane searched for a shovel to bury these poor men so they could rest in peace.

Jane dragged their bodies outside and found a shovel outside the shack next to the steps leading to the door. Jane found a good area to dig and dug two deep holes, buried them and said a prayer for each of them.

Jane went back inside the shack and couldn't believe what Ma had found. She found a table full of papers and parchments explaining about an ultimate power.

If the heart of a Grand White witch were to be eaten the consumer would have an unimaginable power.

Jane suddenly felt terrified, but the feeling wasn't coming from her. Ma looked at Jane.

"Alex is in danger. Your astral body will take you there any second now. I will drive the car back."

Jane wanted to say something to Ma but suddenly found herself at home in the lounge. Jane looked around and saw that there was a struggle. There was no-one there in the house. Jane turned around and stepped outside and saw Max lying on the ground in the garden. Jane dropped to her knees next to him and cradled his head in her right hand.

"The light house............" He said to Jane with a raspy voice.

"Jane!" Jane heard Alex call from a distance.

"Max, Ma would be here in about one hour. If we aren't back by then tell her where we are." Jane stood up and ran to the gate.

"Jane!" Alex called again. Jane looked up at the light house and saw Alex being dragged into it by Brumilda.

Jane ran to the light house as fast as her feet would carry her.

'That hag, when I catch you, you'll pay for all that you've done.' Jane thought to herself.

"I'm coming Alex! Hold on Baby!" Jane shouted to the top of her voice. Jane didn't know where she got the strength from, she started running even faster. Jane got at the door of the light house and opened it.

"Brumilda, finally we meet, it's been a long time. I only dreamt about this moment. Let Alex go, take me instead!"

Brumilda turned to face Jane. She was very old and damn ugly. Misusing dark magic really took its toll on her frail old body.

"Ah. The hunter herself, you hunted all my dark sisters. I am the only one left of the dark witches. Killing you would be a pleasure for me." She spoke with anger in her voice.

Alex was shackled to a support beam in the centre of the building, with a rag shoved in her mouth. Jane stepped forward.

"That's close enough; you wouldn't want anything to happen to your lovely wife."

She stepped toward Alex and held a rusty old blade to her heart. Jane stopped and held her hands up in front of her.

"No, stop, please don't hurt her? I'll do anything you ask."

Jane looked at Alex and saw fear in her eyes. Jane didn't like it one bit. Beads of sweat and tears ran down her face. Her hair was ruffled from the struggle, a total mess. Her body was trembling in fear. Jane could feel her fear.

Then Jane remembered what Ma said to her, that her and Alex were connected through telepathy, which meant that Jane could talk to her without this ugly old hag knowing about it.

Jane kept calm and concentrated on her thoughts.

'Alex, can you hear me?' Alex looked at Jane.

'Yes I can.' Alex answered.

'Good, we need a plan. We need to find her weakness, catch her off guard?'

'I have no idea Honey.'

'Okay, just remain calm. I'll think of something.'

Jane stood there for a while thinking about what to do. Then it hit her like a brick.

"It must have been horrible for you when you lost everything to your sister?" Jane asked Brumilda while she was busy mixing something at a table next to Alex.

She turned around, looking at Jane shocked. "How did you know about that?"

"Everyone knows about it, honestly I think it was wrong of her to take your man and your future from you." Jane said as Alex looked at her puzzled, then she nodded and knew what she was doing. Jane relaxed her arms next to her sides.

"Yes, it was horrible for me. I couldn't stand it. My sister always got everything her heart desired." Brumilda said with tears in her eyes. "She got my man and my children and my future."

"I understand that, my one brother always stole my girlfriends from me. I hated him so much for that. So I left home and never saw them again."

Jane tried to soften her up so she could give Alex time to free her hands without this hag knowing about it.

At the house, the family that Alex called earlier was starting to arrive. They found Max in the garden and helped him up.

He explained to them what was happening. Just then Ma arrived earlier as Jane has said. She must have been flying down that road with Jane's car.

"They're in the light house, Brumilda captured Alex." Max said as the men helped him to the couch by the bar.

Two family members stayed with Max while the rest rushed to the light house. As they arrived they could hear Jane talking to Brumilda and decided to surround the building. A few of them waited by the front door, a few more went to the back door.

Ma took the rest and took the back stairs up to the light and went down the hatch and found the stairs that led down to the lobby where Alex was held. They moved as silent as possible so they wouldn't attract attention to themselves.

************************

Jane was starting to get through to Brumilda; she calmed down a little and walked toward Jane, turning her back to Alex, giving Alex the perfect opportunity to free her hands.

Jane knew the family was outside, she could feel them, I could feel the light, the white magic and the good in their hearts.

"You know how I feel then? Finally there is someone that understands my pain."

"Yes I do understand your pain; I spent years hating him and my family because they supported him more than me. They hated the fact that I was different from normal girls."

"Yes, me to, I was different from everyone else." Finally she was close enough for Jane to grab her.

She looked down, Jane looked back at Alex, and she got her hands free. Jane stepped forward and grabbed Brumilda's hands and shoved her into the wall behind Jane and held her there.

"Now!" Jane yelled, and then everyone came rushing in the doors and down the stairs.

They checked on Alex to see if she was okay. Brumilda started laughing. She kicked Jane in the stomach; she stepped back and grabbed her abdomen in pain. She caught Jane off guard.

She grabbed Jane by my neck and swung her around facing the others, using Jane as a shield.

"This is not over yet!" She yelled laughing, and then they both disappeared into thin air.

Alex ran forward just too late to grab Jane from the hags evil clutches.

"Jane! No!" Alex dropped to her knees and cried her heart out. Ma bent down and put her arms around Alex, trying to console her and calm her down.

"Alex, Jane is still alive. We can use your connection to track them down."

Ma helped Alex to her feet and took her down to Alex's shop. She had everything there to help Ma perform the location spell to find where Brumilda took Jane.

Alex began to feel different. Her astral body was almost ready to transport her to Jane's location.

"Ma you're going to have to hurry with what you're doing?"

"Okay my girl, I'm going to try something else. I think I can muster up a potion to transport us all with you."

*************************

Brumilda and Jane rode on something that kind of looked like a dust cloud. She had Jane's hands and feet bound together with a spell.

They landed somewhere in a deserted area, just outside of a cave in a mountain.

The place looked familiar. Jane tried to look around; she thought she could see the big whole of Kimberley in the distance. Yes, it was, they're in Kimberley.

Jane concentrated on connecting to Alex while Brumilda shoved her into a dusty corner in the cave.

'Alex, can you hear me?'

Alex was sitting on a chair in her shop while Ma was working on some potion to transport all of them together with Alex before her astral body takes her to Jane's location. Alex heard Jane's voice and relaxed to concentrate on her.

'Yes I can hear you Honey.'

'I'm in Kimberley, in a cave in the mountains. The whole of Kimberley is to the east of where we are.'

'Okay good. Are you alright? Ma is working on a potion to transport all of us to your location at once then one for all of us to come back.'

'Yes I'm alright. Good, tell her I said hurry with that potion, your astral body won't wait for them for long.'

'I love you Honey.'

'I love you to Baby.'

Alex snapped out of her trance.

"You just spoke to Jane, what did she say?" Ma asked Alex.

"She said that they're in a cave in the mountains in Kimberley to the west of the big whole." Alex repeated the message.

"And she says to hurry with that potion; my astral body won't wait for long."

"It's done, the potion is ready. Everyone get in here take a sip of this potion and hold hands, form a circle around Alex."

Everyone did as she said and Alex's astral body started transporting them all to Jane's location. They arrived just a kilometre outside the cave.

********************

Alex concentrated on Jane.

'Honey we are here. Hold on, we are almost outside the cave.'

'Okay Baby, you better hurry though. This hag is doing something freaky, chanting some spell.'

'Almost there Honey.'

They ran as fast as they could, with dust and wind blowing into their faces.

Jane sat in the cave on the floor watching what Brumilda was doing. She was waving her arms around chanting something Jane could not fully understand. Jane stopped learning the dark language when she gave up hunting dark witches.

Jane looked around to see if she couldn't find anything to help her escape. She needs to find a way to break the spell Brumilda used to bind her.

Jane closed her eyes and tried to remember everything Ma and Alex taught her. She remembered a spell Ma taught her that can break anyone free of any spell.

She concentrated on the chant, residing it in her head so she wouldn't attract Brumilda's attention. The chant worked her hands and feet were free. She opened her eyes to see what the hag was doing.

She was still chanting, and oblivious to Jane being free. Jane looked around again and saw a fire burning in another corner of the cave. She could push the hag into it and burn her to death.

Outside the cave, the others just reached the entrance.

Brumilda suddenly turned around and saw them then she saw that Jane broke free.

"How did you find us and how did you break free?"

She asked in disbelief.

Jane stood up off the floor as the hag came at her with a sharp object. The others rushed into the cave to help Jane.

Jane grabbed both her hands but the one with the sharp object slipped free and stabbed Jane in the lung just underneath her heart.