WaterBlade

Chapter One

I was so focused on the rhythmic beating of my hammer that my father had to say my name several times before he finally caught my attention. "Kida!" he half shouted.

Breaking out of my work induced haze, I blinked and looked up. Sweat beaded on my forehead and dripped down the back of my neck. Hastily, I wiped it away with the back of my arm. If being in the desert wasn't bad enough, standing in front of a blazing fire half the day was my own personal hell, but I liked the work. It gave me purpose. "Yes papa?"

He gave me a small smile and moved to take my place at the forge, removing the hammer and the half completed sword from my hands. "You've done more than enough work for the day," he told me kindly. "Take a break."

"I'm fine!" I protested. I tried to take the tools back from him, but he deftly moved out my reach and I winced at the movement. I may be tall, but he was much taller. Only now that I had stopped working, I could feel the aches and cramps in my hands and back. Papa gave me a knowing look as I winced. "Ok," I said grudgingly. "I'll go rustle up some dinner then."

Papa nodded and resumed my work on the sword. He was the best blacksmith in our camp, in the whole desert really, and the Imperial Army relied heavily on his skills. I still didn't like the fact we had to make weapons for them. After all, it was the Imperial family that enslaved the Northern tribes all those years ago and forced us to live out in the Southern Sands, the only desert in the country. When I was little, and my mother told me stories about the great Northern Tribes, our ancestors, I always asked why the Imperial Army forced us to live in this uncomfortable environment. She would always tell me I was too young to learn such things, and that one day I would understand. After my mother passed away, it pained my father too much to talk about the Northern tribes. He said my mother had so much passion when talking about them, and he couldn't do them justice. When I turned 16, however, he had no choice but to tell me the truth. Now I had a role in protecting our tribe's greatest secret.

Sighing, I removed my blacksmith's apron and hung it on the peg by the door as I stepped into the shade. It felt good to be out of the sun. Our house, or hut really, was modest, made of hardened clay and wood and a thatched roof, materials that would endure the blazing sun. It wasn't much cooler inside, but it was better than suffering in the sun. After changing into fresher clothes, I went back outside, this time through the front of the house instead of the forge. My clothes were almost as simple as the house. A shirt and shorts made of thin material made to help keep us cool, and a light scarf to wrap around my head and neck to keep my scalp blistering from the sun. The scarf was a necessary precaution, even if it did make me feel even hotter.

I made my way to the center of the camp, calling out hellos as I did so. I never knew why the Imperials insisted on calling it a town. It was just shy of being a slavers camp, and I refused to call it anything but that. The camp itself was made of less than 30 buildings, most of them other homes and much in the shape of my own home. There were a few stalls, similar to my father's forge that stuck off the back or sides of someone's home. This is where local people would sell their wares, mostly forms of art. There were no food stalls, as our food intake was heavily monitored by the guards surrounding the camp. It's not like we could grow or hunt our own food in the desert.

In the center of the camp, which I had finally reached, was a stone well. There was already a line forming for the villagers as they came to collect their daily supply of water. I slid into my place in line, behind a sibling pair I knew well. Khalie and Jyn were the only other ones in my tribe to come close to my own age of 17. Khalie was 15 and her brother was 20. We became fast friends, but they were also my only friends. It was commonly assumed that Jyn and I would one day be married, as he was the only possible suitor. I loved them both dearly, and couldn't imagine my life without them, but I could not see myself married to Jyn. We flirted occasionally, but I don't think it meant a thing to either of us, least of all me.

"Kida!" Khalie squealed when she finally noticed me. With a laugh, she hugged me and linked her arm through mine, pulling me into her spot in the line. "I haven't seen you all day. I thought maybe you had already gotten your water and left."

"I was busy in Papa's forge," I said by way of apology.

Jyn scoffed. "You need a hobby."

I nudged him in his ribs with my free elbow. "That is my hobby," I protested. "We can't all be as dull as you."

"Haha," he laughed dryly, but I could see the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Anyway," Khalie said, pulling my attention back to her. "Have you heard the news?"

"What news?" I was instantly alert, looking around the camp. Behind the well was a highly monitored bath house, also made of stone. Two guards in red and black armor stood outside the doors, and I had no doubt that there were more guards inside. Beyond the bathhouse was the wooden wall they used to keep us penned up inside. Occasionally, I would see another red and black clad guard patrol the top of it. Other than that, there was nothing abnormal about this day. Surrounding me was nothing but familiar faces. Everyone had the same weary expression, our skin tanned and lined from all our constant work in the sun. Even the guards, who came from up north in the capital and had much fairer skin had gotten kissed by the sun. What I could see of their faces were tan, though not nearly as tanned as the tribe's. Impatiently, I looked over to Khalie to see when she would elaborate on whatever she was clearly dying to tell me.

"The king and the crowned prince are coming in a month's time to do an inspection." Khalie was practically buzzing with excitement at this news. Despite the heat of the sun, my blood ran cold. The Imperial family was coming here, to my small personal portion of hell. "Isn't that exciting?" Khalie urged when I didn't react the way she wanted me to. I could only nod in what I hoped was a convincing way.

Even though our tribes were basically enslaved to the king and his empire, there were many, like Khalie, who viewed him as our rightful lord and king. They didn't harbor the prejudices against him that I had, and I couldn't see why, but that wasn't my problem. Khalie also wasn't in on the tribe's secrets. At the age of only 15, she was viewed as too young. Next year, when she was 16, she would tested to decide whether or not she is fit to keep the secret. Less than half the tribe new.

Jyn, who did know the secret, made a point to pretend he wasn't listening, but I could see how tense he was. No doubt like me, he was hoping the subject would change quickly. Luckily for us, it did. Khalie piped up again. "So what are we doing to celebrate your birthday Kida? Its next week right?"

I nodded, still trouble by this news of the king. "Uh, yeah, but I wasn't really planning anything special."

"Come on," she pouted. "We have to do something nice."

Not a moment too soon, it became Khalie and Jyn's turn at the well. One guard stood on either side of the well while another continued to go between the villagers and the well, handing out buckets of cool, clear water. This effectively dropped all conversation and Jyn and Khalie took their ration and called off a cheery goodbye to me as they made their way home. I was next, but I was so troubled that I didn't realize the guard was handing me my ration of water until he grunted in impatience. I glared at him, though I couldn't see his eyes through his helmet. I had no sympathy for the Imperial Army. Unfortunately, all I could do was glare at the man. If I did anything untoward, I would risk the punishment of having my rations of water taken away, not just for myself, but for my whole household. I don't need to explain how lack of water could become a severe problem in the desert. The guard knew it too, because I heard him snickering, not even bothering to be quiet about it as I turned on my heel and walked away with my water.