Brute 278

Chapter 278 

Atasha’s POV 

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The noise faded slowly, not all at once, but in uneven waves, unt the cavern no longer vibrated with growls and heavy 

movement. 

I stayed where I was for a few more breaths, my body pressed into the stone, listening hard enough that my ears ached. Nothing rushed past the opening. No claws scraped close enough to send dust falling. The cave felt empty in the way places. did after violence had moved through them and left nothing standing in its path. 

I eased the stone aside and climbed out of the pocket. 

Every movement was careful, measured, my boots placed with intention as I slid along the ridge Cassian had used earlier. The air was warmer here, thicker, carrying the faint scent of water beneath the lingering smell of beasts. I kept to the shadow of the wall, moving as quickly as I could without making noise, because speed without control would only announce me to whatever had been left behind. 

The cliff came into view again. My stomach tightened as I peered over the 

ge 

The clearing below looked different now. Where the beasts had crowded earlier, there were gaps, disturbed stone, claw marks torn into the ground. Most of them were gone, just as Cassian had predicted. A few smaller creatures remained, scattered near the edges, some no larger than my hand, others closer to the size of a child’s head, their bodies low to the ground as they skittered and hissed at one another. 

I did not wait. 

I slid down the slope along the cliff wall, using jagged rock for balance, then dropped the last distance to the ground in a controlled landing that rattled up my legs but did not slow me. The moment my boots touched stone, I was already moving again, eyes locked on the spring. 

My hand went to my short sword. 

I drew it slowly and advanced, keeping my shoulders loose even though my pulse had started to pick up. The smaller beasts noticed me immediately. Their heads lifted, bodies shifting, claws digging into the stone. One of them scuttled sideways, another hissed low, but none rushed me. 

I took another step. 

Then 

my heart lurched. 

The sensation hit me without warning. It felt like something had reached inside my chest and squeezed. My breath stuttered. I stopped instinctively, my free hand pressing against my ribs as if I could steady my heartbeat by force alone. 

This was not fear. 

I had felt fear enough times to recognize it. 

This was different. 

I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second, forcing myself to breathe, reminding my body that I was not injured, that there was no blade in my side, no poison in my blood. I could heal myself. I had done it countless times. But my heart did not slow. If anything, it started beating harder, faster, like it was reacting to something I could not see. 

I opened my eyes just as one of the smaller beasts moved. 

It looked wrong in a way that made my skin crawl. The beast was shaped like a turtle without its shell, its body flat and thick, skin stretched tight over muscle. Its head lifted, revealing a wide mouth lined with blunt fangs that should not have fit inside its skull. It hissed and lunged toward me in a sudden burst of speed. 

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Chapter 278 

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I did not hesitate. 

I stepped into the motion and slashed downward, my blade cutting cleanly through its neck. The creature collapsed in a wet heap at my feet, twitching once before going still. 

The others recoiled instantly. 

They hissed louder, bodies pulling back, claws scraping stone as they retreated instead of advancing. None of them rushed me again. 

I swallowed and forced myself to move. 

Step by step, I approached the spring, my heart hammering harder with every pace, the sensation in my chest growing heavier, more insistent, like my body was warning me of something it could not explain. Sweat broke out along my spine despite the warmth of the cave. My grip on my sword tightened until my knuckles ached. 

After what felt like forever, I reached the edge of the water. 

The spring was clearer up close, its surface smooth, reflecting the glow of the insects above. I knelt and dipped my fingers into it, half–expecting pain, poison, something that would explain the way my heart felt like it was trying to break free of my ribs. 

Nothing burned. 

I drew my hand up and let my power flow into the water. 

The reaction was immediate. 

The liquid shimmered, faint points of light blooming through it like scattered stars, the surface rippling even though my hand was still. I sucked in a sharp breath and pulled my fingers back, startled enough that I nearly lost my balance. 

The water sparkled. 

Not violently. Not dangerously. 

It looked alive! 

Before I could think through what that meant, movement erupted around me. The smaller beasts surged forward, diving into the spring with reckless abandon, their bodies colliding as they scrambled for the water. They drank greedily, snapping and shoving one another aside, their hissing turning sharp and frantic. 

Then they started fighting. 

Claws lashed out. Teeth sank into flesh. One creature was dragged under by another, only to burst back up moments later, blood clouding the water as they tore at each other. 

I stumbled backward, shock jolting through me as I 

I did not wait to see how it ended.. 

ared at the chaos I had triggered. 

I circled wide, moving away from the spring, keeping my distance from the frenzy as I reached for my flasks. I knelt again. this time at a narrow offshoot where water pooled just beyond the main spring’s edge, and filled both containers quickly, my hands steady despite the pounding in my chest. 

One for Cassian. 

One for me. 

I sealed them, secured them to my waist, and straightened, relief flickering briefly through me because this part of the plan 

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Chapter 278 

was done. 

Then I heard it. 

A low growl rolled through the chamber, deep enough that it vibrated through the ground and up my legs. 

It came from behind me. 

I turned slowly. 

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It was one of the smaller beasts. Its body was changing, swelling as if something inside it was expanding, muscle thickening. limbs stretching, skin tearing and reforming as it grew larger before my eyes. Its head lifted, jaw widening unnaturally as its mouth split into something far too large for its skull, fangs lengthening as it dragged itself upright. 

The growl deepened. 

Then finally it turned its head towards… me. 

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