Read A Town Called Dust: The Territory 1 for Free Online Page B

intimidating, but at the same time she wondered whether the awestruck people around her knew he called her “kitten” and let her ride around on his back. “I thank you all for coming today,” he continued, his voice amplified across the square, “and extend a special welcome to the friends and families of these young men as we celebrate their taking of the oath to join the Diggers, the great defenders of the Territory.”
    Clapping and cheering rose from the crowd. Lynn could feel how contagious the excitement was—she almost caught it—but it drained away when she realized she would never be allowed to take that oath.
    “These brave young men have answered the call to serve and protect the Central Territory,” Colonel Hermannsburg said. “They may see battle with our great enemy the ghoul, but all of us see battle in our time, and not every battle is fought with a sword. As the Administrator has said, we must all remain vigilant about the danger we face in this world, and as the Sisters remind us, we must do this with great faith in God the Redeemer. Praise be to the Pure.”
    “Praise be to the Pure,” the crowd intoned as one.  
    “I would like to invite General Connor onto the stage to take the oaths.”
    A new silence fell across the onlookers, something that felt like more than just the absence of sound, as if the crowd had drawn a collective breath and was holding it. A man began walking up the steps to the platform. Despite the heat of the day he was dressed in full armor that shone a deep jade green. A long green cape emblazoned with a golden rising sun, the symbol of the Diggers, flowed off his shoulders. He wore a crimson beret angled on his shaved head. A scar ran across his face, from the top of his forehead over his right eye and down until it was lost in the beard at the edge of his mouth. He took the stairs two at a time. A scabbard hung from his waist, and in the silence that had fallen over the yard the light click of it tapping against his armored legs could be heard with every step.
    As General Connor approached, Lynn’s father snapped up a salute which the general returned before the two men grabbed each other’s forearms. They spoke in low voices, away from the microphone so the crowd could not hear, but Lynn was close enough to make out what was being said.
    “It’s good to see you, Alfred.”
    “And you, Wentworth. Thank you for doing this, I know you don’t make a habit of taking new oaths yourself.”
    The general looked at Melbourne. “Not at all, Al,” he said. “The Training Master tells me Melbourne is the finest graduate we’ve had in many years. Better than you, they say, maybe even better than me.”
    Lynn looked at Melbourne. She saw the smile on his face. She didn’t believe it. Melbourne wasn’t better than her father at anything.
    “I’m afraid we will need to be quick, though,” the general said. “We must ride out.”
    “You’re not going to stay for the evening?”
    “There’s no time. I’m leaving on a patrol out to the fence.”
    “You always did like to do things yourself, didn’t you?” Colonel Hermannsburg said, smiling.
    “You know me,” the general said, “I don’t care for staying behind a desk.”
    Lynn had been looking at Melbourne, watching his expression change from a smile to flat-faced worry. She realized he was nervous. For all his gallant exterior, Melbourne was actually nervous.
    “Come, then,” General Connor said, turning to face the crowd and raising his voice so that all could hear him. It was clear he didn’t need to stand near the microphone for the speakers to throw his voice across the yard. “Let’s do this. Take a knee, boys.”
    Melbourne and the twelve or so other young men on stage did as they were told, kneeling before the general and the crowd that watched them.
    “Repeat after me,” the general said, and then cleared his throat gruffly. “Before the sight of the people of Alice and under the eyes of God