Highland Son (Highland Sorcery: A New Dawn) Read Online Free PDF

for ourselves from the sea. We’ve also sent vessels to make contact with others along the coasts. Come with us. Bring your children to a safe haven.” Alexander made the plea as heartfelt as he knew how.
    Sheppard rubbed a wide palm down his weathered face. “There is no safe haven, not in a world overrun with monsters that can vanish through a rent in the fabric of air.”
    “But we have—“
    Dez nudged in front of him, a silent order for Alexander to quit drawing attention to himself. “You asked about the canisters. They are what’s going to rid us of our monster problem.”
    Sheppard snorted. “From what I saw, it didn’t kill them. It didn’t do anything but confuse them with the mist for a few seconds.”
    “It does better.” Ethan smiled. “Takes away the flubbies’ ability to rip holes in the world.”
    The statement hung in the air. The guards’ jaws went slack. Their fingers shifted along the stocks of their rifles.
    Sheppard looked like he wanted to drop the canister. “This rids them of their magic?”
    Alexander felt himself nod in sync with Ethan and Dez.
    “But I saw one open their godforsaken holes and come out right behind you.” He pointed to Alexander.
    Ethan and Dez unconsciously shifted to block him from view.
    “One did, yes,” Dez confirmed. “The formula works, but the range is limited. We were in the process of testing exactly what the canister’s range is when you came upon us.”
    “That’s why you were firing at their legs,” one of the guards spoke up, a bald headed fellow with a sharply angled nose. “To give them a chance to open their holes. If you can take that magic away from them…” Light eyes narrowed in disbelief.
    “They’ll have nowhere to escape,” Sheppard finished. “No holes in the air to flee into. We can kill them all, right here and now.” His pallor had turned an ashy gray. He tapped the canister in his palm. “Is this magic?”
    “No,” Dez said. “Science.”
    Sheppard’s eyes flicked up. “Science. How does it work?”
    Alexander could rattle off the compounds in his sleep. He’d worked years to figure it out, studied overtime in college in the labs, discussed hypothetically with some of the top scientific minds... The truth was there was magic involved. Or rather, the specific DNA coding of a magical wielder, his uncle Shaw, the Moon Sifter, the man whose magic originally created the first Sift from a poor babe he was trying to strengthen from a possible miscarriage within the womb of an insane witch. He’d saved the unborn infant, yet created a monster, first of its kind. Shaw couldn’t have known how terribly, terribly his magic mixing with hers would cost the world.
    A shake of Dez’s head regained Alexander’s attention. Dez frowned. “We’re just the grunts assigned to test the formula out in canister form. Our scientists in California will have to fill you in on what went into making it.” This was the part where they lied, keeping Alexander’s vital role out of it.
    Though he hadn’t been foolhardy enough to go out in the field without leaving the formula in good hands with the group of scientists and doctors. If anything were to happen to him now, it wouldn’t change anything. Not anymore.
    He was as expendable as anyone else. Though in his mind, every life was precious. There were too few humans left.
    Sheppard stood, shaking his head. “None of this is possible. A way to stop the ill-bred monsters from creating demon-spawn holes in the world? It’s a ruse created to trick us.”
    “You have the canisters.” Ethan shrugged, unconcerned. “Test it on the beasts for yourself.”
    Sheppard stared down at the aerosol can in his hand. It was once a simple can for spray paint though the label had long ago faded, even more as Alexander reworked the canister to carry the anti-rift serum. Sheppard’s brows collided over stormy eyes. “I intend to.”
    The entire exchange seemed to have deflated the man. Alexander