The old man was furious, which was good because his adrenaline level would keep him alert. “Do you speak English?” Markhor asked. The old man jerked his head as if he were trying to spit at Markhor through the rag in his mouth.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said lightly. “Just sit tight and relax. You won’t be harmed. I’ll be back in a few hours to give you some water.” Markhor gave him a pat on the head, knowing that if the man hadn’t been gagged he would have taken a bite out of his hand.

“Aren’t you finished yet?” Dai She yelled from outside the shack. “We have work to do.”

“See what I have to put up with?” Markhor asked the old man. Then he took the sack with the falcon and looped it over two hooks so that the opening was stretched apart to allow some airflow. He peeked into the sack and Randall lunged at him. Markhor laughed. “Good little bird.” He poured water over its head to help cool it down. “No shenanigans, you two. I’ll be back shortly.”

Compared to the roads they had traveled to get there, the entrance to the mine was suitable for a high-performance car, paved smooth and lined with electric lights. Since the initial discovery of the Cueva de los Cristales in April 2000, researchers had been hard at work. Their early efforts at preserving the upper caves had resulted in contamination of the crystals, but it made for much easier access into the mine. Dai She was happy, if not grateful for their work.

They walked downhill with relative ease, Markhor carrying the bulk of their supplies. When the electric lighting ended, Dai She switched over to a handheld lantern. Markhor, who had spent considerable time exploring other caves around the world in search of rare elements, wore a hard hat with an attached lamp.

The air thickened with humidity the deeper they descended. Markhor wasn’t sure what smelled worse, the sulfuric scent in the air or the sweaty stink of the obese man leading the way.

“I thought you said it was only a thousand feet.” Dai She grumbled, stopping to wipe the perspiration from his face and take a long draft of water from his canteen.

“I said the cave we need is a thousand feet below the surface. The tunnel to get there is angled, and as you can see, does not go in a straight line.” Markhor wrinkled his nose, pulling even with Dai She. “We still have a ways to go.”

“I hope, for your sake, we have enough time to make all the necessary preparations,” Dai She threatened.

“And what exactly is there to prepare?” Markhor was irritated. “The crystals you asked me to locate are already in place. They’re pure and huge and millions of years old. You’ll have everything you need.”