* * *
Dave had been following Albert down a narrow path away from the shore for what seemed like forever. He didn’t really keep track of it, just shuffled one foot after the other, munching on the big sandwich the old man had given him.
The sun hadn’t warmed the earth yet, the grass under their feet heavy with dew, but Dave didn’t mind the fresh breeze. It had a clarity the air in New York lacked. Elena would’ve loved this place. They should’ve—
He broke off the thought, like he’d been doing for days now. Just like the million others that popped into his head every day. He bottled it up, then switched his attention to the now. It put a strain on his nerves, but at least it helped keep him sane.
“We’re here,” Albert’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Dave halted, staring at a large rock formation before him. “And here is…?”
“The caves,” Albert said, as if it explained everything. “Follow me.”
He started walking again, this time climbing a short, rocky path to a bunch of red stones. Dave couldn’t see any caves from down there, but he didn’t feel like asking questions. It took him only a few big strides to catch up with the old man, and he stopped at his side.
“Go move that round stone to the side,” Albert said, pointing his finger at a large boulder a few feet away.
Dave peered at it. “I don’t think I can do that.” The stone must have been four feet across, and it wasn’t that round.
Albert side-eyed him, annoyed, and moved forward. Before Dave could find his tongue, the man squatted, slipped his hands under the stone, and flipped it over as if it were a piece of wood.
“Ladies first,” he grumbled, pointing at the hole in the ground.
Dave stared at him, then took a couple of steps forward. It was just a hole in the middle of nowhere. He couldn’t even see the bottom.
“How far is the drop?” he asked.
“About ten feet.”
“And it leads to some cave?”
“Yes. Just go in.”
“Why?” Dave made a face, incredulous. “Why are we here?”
“Oh, for God’s sake.” Albert jumped into the hole, gone in an instant.
Dave spread his arms. “Wonderful. Just wonderful.”
Out of options, he sat on the ground, dangling his feet through the hole. He still couldn’t see anything.
“You got three seconds before I pull you down,” Albert’s voice sounded from below.
Dave cursed under his breath, pushed off the ground and slipped through the hole, falling through the darkness for what seemed to be far more than ten feet. The air whooshed out of him when he landed in a crouch on hard stone, and to his utter surprise, he heard Albert snicker.
“Oh, boy,” the old man said, meaning God knew what, and walked away.
By now, Dave was too irritated to ask what he was laughing at.
He followed Albert through a narrow tunnel, his head down to keep it from scraping the ceiling every now and then, his eyes straining to see in the little light that filtered down here. There was a source of it up ahead, diffused but stable, keeping the tunnel from being pitch-dark.
Soon enough, they reached a large cavern. Dave halted, taking in the wide space illuminated by sunrays that pierced through the holes and cracks above. If not for them, he wouldn’t be able to see the ceiling at all. They stood on a small platform, a dark abyss below. Dave thought it had been to places like this one that ancient people brought their sacrificial lambs.
“This is where I used to train,” Albert said at his side. “The only place around here that’s safe and big enough.”
“You could’ve just built a training hall.”
“For one man? That wouldn’t be suspicious at all.”
“Like anyone cares.”
Albert looked him in the eyes, his face serious. “Believe me, they do. Come on, let’s take a look at that power of yours.”
“There’s nothing to look at. I told you, it doesn’t work,” Dave said, frowning. He took two steps forward and peeked over the edge. “This Batcave of yours is giving me the creeps.” The sweatshirt he was wearing barely protected him from the cold, and his ears were already frozen.
“Oh, it works all right. You just don’t see it. Wanna see what you could do, though?”
Dave turned to look at Albert. There was a sly spark in the old man’s eyes. “Sure. Whatev—”
The air lodged in his throat when something hit him in the chest, sending him flying through the air. He couldn’t even scream as he tumbled head over heels, his arms and legs flapping madly. It stopped just as abruptly as it started—he hit something smooth and hung suspended in the air, his limbs tangled underneath him in the most uncomfortable position imaginable.
“It’s worse than I thought,” he heard Albert’s voice somewhere in the distance.
Dave untangled his arms and legs and stood on all fours, feeling cautiously at the surface underneath him. It felt like a… shield. It was a shield that had stopped his fall, and the same thing had slammed into him up on the platform.
Albert, you bastard.
He didn’t voice his irritation, asking instead, “Is this me? Am I doing this?” He felt around some more at the pocket he was in.
“No.”
Dave looked up in time to see Albert step off the platform, and at the same time, the shield underneath him disappeared, the air shuddering in its wake.
A scream tore from his throat—and cut off when his feet hit the
