Oath of Rings

Chapter 2

"Bayley! Have you been out here all night?" Bayley heard her mother's voice calling out across the farm, just like she had heard her calling her name several times before. "Bayley!"

"I'm fine." Reluctantly, Bayley started to stir. She had been out in the fields all night long, sprawled on the ground. She had even taken off all her clothes and stretched herself naked across the dirt, hoping more contact would help her talk to the earth, draw forth its bounty. All she got for her efforts was a chill and itchy shoulders. Now she was clothed again, but that was all that had changed. Her family's fields were still dry and lifeless, and even though her powers were getting stronger by the day, she felt weaker than ever.

"Bayley!" Her mother was suddenly at her side, throwing a thick blanket over her. "You can't stay out here all night! Not alone, at least. The Skull King's men have been spotted to the south," she said, sitting beside her daughter. "And you know . . . you know how interested he is in magic. It's not safe for you to be out here by yourself." She tucked the edges of the blanket around Bayley when she refused to get up. Bayley didn't know much about the Skull King, to be honest, mostly because she had been keeping to herself, hoping not to make things worse for her mother and stepfather.

"And it's useless. It's not working." Bayley's voice was as flat and lifeless as their crops, but she moved over enough to rest her head on her mother's knee. "I'm sorry. I don't understand why I can fix everyone else's farms but ours." When her powers first started developing in her youth, they seemed to have no affect on her family's holdings either way. She could bless her neighbours' lands, however, which made her family popular. As her powers grew, however, it seemed to drain the land, as if taking energy to replenish her, and no amount of effort could restore her family's farm.

Things fell out of her life gradually. First her father left them, unable to cope with the failure of the farm along with the displeasure of his neighbours. Then the neighbours and other villagers started to complain—quietly at first, and only amongst themselves, but as their crops grew sparser, their words and actions grew bolder. Bayley was surprised her mother had been able to find another husband who was willing to endure such scrutiny, but her stepfather was a kind, understanding man who took Bayley's strange powers in stride. All the love and consideration in the world couldn't keep their farm going, however, and now they they were facing some very tough choices. "Oh, Bayley," her mother sighed, stroking her hair. "I know you're trying. I do. I've seen how brave you are, how strong. We've all seen what you can do—"

"But why can't I do it here?" Bayley squeezed her eyes shut. Dawn was creeping across the vast sky and the coming of the light simply meant another night of failure. "Why can't I do it where it matters the most?"

"Bayley." Her mother's voice took on a chiding tone. "All the villages are important. We're all just people, doing our best to survive and feed our families."

"I know, but. . . ." Bayley sat up at last, wearing the blanket around her shoulders like a cape. She was surprised they had any good woollen blankets left anymore: once the crops started failing, her mother had started selling off anything they could part with and supplementing their now-meagre income with her handicraft skills. Her stepfather helped on neighbours' farms when he could, but such jobs were getting harder to come by since many people associated him with Bayley and were worried that he would bring her perceived curse along with him. "You always told me this was a gift." She let a handful of dusty dirt sift through her fingers, concentrating on it with all her might, but it remained resolutely dry. "But aren't gifts supposed to be shared with the people you love the most? Why can I go to a village down the road and give them crops that yield a bounty all year long, but I can't help you?"

Wrapping her arms around her daughter, Bayley's mother was quiet for a while, rocking back and forth. "Bayley, you know you're my heart," she began, "and all I've ever wanted for you is happiness. Perhaps that joy lies elsewhere. You need to follow your heart."