Bird of the Gods Chapter 17

Schoolteacher Fiona is on a mission for grandpa - find a missing Zimbabwean artefact, the precious soapstone "Bird of the Gods".
Conrad - dodgy archaeologist contracted to the stunning influencer Amanda aka #mandalove - has the same job. When Fiona and Conrad's paths cross, what was supposed to be a straightforward quest turns into a crazy race around the world.
With antagonists popping up at every corner - a lot of them underground in Serbian caves, frozen Canadian crypts, Egyptian tombs, and the silver mines of the old West, Fiona and Conrad have to work together to catch their bird.
Mutual respect grows into something more intimate.
But not everything is quite as it seems, and they had better watch their backs lest they too end up underground, this time permanently...

This is my chapter in the Writer's Relay. It won't make any sense if you read it without reading all the rest! So go to @basketballdemon and read Chapter 1!