A Town Called Dust: The Territory 1 by Justin Woolley Read Free Book Online

the Redeemer, by the will of the Ancestors, I, say your name, do solemnly declare that I will give myself to the service of the Territory and protect her from all enemies, both foreign and domestic, and shall live within the will of the Administrator and the code of the Church until such time as I am released from duty by the spilling of my blood.”
    Melbourne raised his head. The speakers hissed and gave a loud pop. He joined the others as each of them repeated the oath loudly, clearly and without fault, inserting their own name as they pledged to serve.
    Wentworth Connor smiled as he drew his sword from the scabbard at his waist. “Then, as Commander of the Army of the Central Territory, having the authority under the rule of the Administrator and the blessing of the High Priestess, I accept your oaths and grant you the rank of Trooper. Welcome to the Diggers.”
    The yard exploded with cheers. The servant beneath the microphone stopped winding the crank handle and collapsed into an exhausted heap on the platform. Colonel Hermannsburg smiled and placed his hand on Melbourne’s shoulder. Lynn listened carefully to try to make out what he was saying over the noise.
    “You will learn quickly enough that there are no long goodbyes for a Digger,” he said. “You must go now and protect the Territory.”
    “Thank you,” Melbourne said, “for everything. I wish my mother could have been here.”
    Colonel Hermannsburg smiled. “I’m sure she is looking down on you with the Ancestors.”
    “Come,” said General Wentworth Connor. “You will ride with me.”
    “Thank you, sir,” Melbourne said.
    Melbourne made his way down the stairs. Lynn realized the crowd was still clapping. Melbourne approached her. He looked bigger now that he was a real Digger. He bent and kissed her gently on the forehead.
    “I know you don’t love me, Lynn,” he whispered, “but I will try to make you proud.”
    She didn’t reply as he turned and walked to join the general. The spot on her forehead still tingled from his kiss. She felt her eyes growing warm, like she was going to cry, which was ridiculous. She didn’t want Melbourne around anyway.
    Lynn looked up as she felt her father’s hand on her back.
    “Just us now, kitten,” he said.
    Lynn sniffed. “Good,” she said, but she knew it didn’t sound convincing.

CHAPTER 6
    The journey into Dust took just over two hours, but that was with Uncle pushing the horses harder than Squid thought was necessary. Uncle always pushed the horses too hard. It had taken Squid an hour to raise the courage to say something.
    “Maybe we should give the horses a rest.”
    “No,” Uncle snapped back, “or by the time we get there the best spots’ll be gone.”
    Squid and his uncle went to market once a month and never before had the location of their cart ever made any difference to their sales.
    Uncle continued, “If you had sorted the fields out proper this season we would’ve left last night.”
    Normally Squid wouldn’t have said any more but his unusual treatment that morning had given him the confidence to speak his mind. “We should’ve plowed paddocks two and three earlier and double-treated what we got from one, but you told me to leave it and fix the chair in the kitchen, and cut the firewood, and mend the fence, and—”
    A stinging backhand caught Squid across the face.
    “Shut your mouth. Your aunt was the one what thought we should baby you for your birthday. Sixteen is the coming of age, she said, we better be extra nice to him. Well, she ain’t here now!”
    Squid sat the rest of the journey in silence, bumping along on the wooden seat with every divot and hole in the cracked red road. The side of his face stung and his eyes had grown hot, but he wouldn’t rub his face and he wouldn’t cry. He set his mind to counting the low green shrubs along the side of the road to distract himself.
    The buildings of Dust eventually appeared, coming into view in order of