Shadow of Time

by Jen Minkman

  Together, they carried the cleaned barbecue back to the shed. Ben gave her a quick hug. “Sleep tight, sis. Will you wake me up before you go to the beach? I’m afraid I’ll sleep right through my alarm clock – I’m that tired.”

  “Maybe you need a good rest.”

  “No. I want to use the opportunity to talk to Josh tomorrow,” Ben said decidedly. He stepped inside and disappeared into his room.

  When Hannah had blown out the candles still burning on the porch, she went into the kitchen, where Josh was just drying off the last plate. He leaned into her and put his arms around her. “Where are we going to sleep, I was wondering?”

  “I guess we’ll take my mom’s room. That’s easier than cramming ourselves into my single bed.”

  “Sounds good.” He kissed her forehead and let go of her. “I’m going to take a shower before I go to sleep.”

  While listening to Josh singing in the shower, Hannah changed into her pajamas and crawled under the covers. Absently, she grabbed an old magazine from the bedside table to leaf through it and distract herself a bit.

  Every time she closed her eyes, she saw coyote eyes in her mind. Even though she was wearing the medicine bundle, she was still afraid she’d have nightmares tonight. Her entire body felt restless. When Josh finally emerged from the bathroom, his hair still dripping and a wet towel around his shoulders, she was nervously staring at the ceiling. He walked to her side of the bed and sat down on the edge, softly touching the skin of her face.

  “You can feel them, can’t you?” he asked.

  “Yes. I see... their eyes. They’re watching me.”

  “Are you absolutely sure you want to do this thing?”

  “Yes.” Hannah sat up and pulled Josh closer. Her hands pushed away the towel, and she caressed his back, still clammy from the shower. Then, she felt his mouth on hers, and despite her nervousness, a shiver of pleasure ran through her body. This was probably the best way to stop herself from analyzing things too much. Josh’s nearness always got to her, in so many good ways. His hands roamed her body, and she slowly eased herself back down again, pulling him on top of her. “So, are you going to take off your jeans soon?” she whispered seductively.

  Josh started laughing. “Impatient,” he grumbled a rebuke.

  It didn’t take long before the old magazine was lying forgotten on the floor. For the moment, all anxious thoughts had completely disappeared into the background.

  The next morning, Hannah was woken up by birdsong outside. It had to be early, then. She’d better stay in bed for a while longer. Putting her head on Josh’s chest, she scooted closer under the arm he’d slung around her in his sleep. She listened to his soft breathing, smiling as she took in his relaxed face, so peaceful and innocent in his sleep.

  All the summers she’d spent here passed through her mind’s eye. She’d watched this boy grow older every year, and now he was suddenly beside her as an equal, bound to her in supernatural ways. It felt good that she’d known him for so many years before getting to know him again, like this. Everything about them together felt like it was forever.

  As she was musing on their history together, Josh slowly woke up. He yawned loudly, stretching his arms and opening his eyes. “Hey, honey,” he mumbled, rubbing his nose against hers. “You been awake for long?”

  “Not that long.” She kissed him.

  “What were you doing?”

  “Watching you,” she smiled.

  Josh smiled back. “So? Your conclusions?”

  “You’re beautiful when you sleep.”

  “Praise indeed. Only when I sleep?” He pulled her closer.

  “You shouldn’t push your luck,” she giggled and buried her face in his neck.

  Josh chuckled when her stomach suddenly grumbled loudly. “I guess that means it’s breakfast time. Shall we get up?”

  Hannah shook her head. “No, I’ll be making breakfast. You have to stay in bed. It’s breakfast in bed.”

  “I’ll stay put,” he promised with a twinkle in his eyes. “That’s sweet of you.”

  Hannah walked into the kitchen with a broad smile on her face. This was how life would be once they’d dealt with those skinwalkers. No more scary situations. No more fear. A normal, ordinary life for Josh.

  Whistling a tune, she put on the oven to bake croissants. She also made scrambled eggs and toast, and when she stepped into the bedroom again after fifteen minutes, Josh was staring at the ceiling, enjoying the sunlight streaming in from the window after he had opened the drapes.

  “This is good,” he mumbled, his chin covered in croissant crumbles, when they’d put the tray of food between them in bed. “We should do this more often.”

  “Yeah, we should. Well, tomorrow is a no-no, I guess. We have to be with Sani before sunrise, and I bet we’ll have to do that ritual on an empty stomach again.”

  Josh was silent for a moment. “That won’t be necessary this time. We only need to be in a state of light trance when we enter the cave. There won’t be any sandpainting to sit on this time, either. I suspect Sani already wants to start the first part of the ritual tonight, after sunset.”

  “Can you split up a ceremony into two parts?” Hannah wondered aloud.

  “In this case, yes. The first part will weaken the evil magic inside as much as possible, and the second part will help us to reach the creatures in the cave.”

  “By the way, Ben wanted to ask you a few things today. You should explain this to him, too.”

  “I think Ben’s priority is to find out how to protect you as well as possible.”

  “Ben doesn’t even know how dangerous this is for me.”

  Josh quirked an eyebrow. “Of course he does. He sees how I behave around you. He’d have to be really stupid not to know, and Ben just so happens to be a smart guy.”

  Hannah held her breath for a second. “Well, he can’t talk me out of this anymore, so he’d better just accept that I’m in danger,” she said stubbornly.

  Josh let out a deep sigh, took her face in his hands and looked her in the eye. “Just keep in mind how much everybody loves you,” he said softly, but vehemently. “Don’t be reckless. Don’t put your life on the line just because you’ve gotten it into your head you have to stay at my side no matter what.”

  Hannah stared back at him, tears welling up in her eyes. Of course, Josh was right. And he loved her so much he’d be willing to give her up, even now, to protect her. But she wouldn’t change her mind. Her life was connected to his for good, and it was too late for her to undo that.

  “No, I won’t be reckless,” she promised in a hoarse whisper, laced with emotion. “I really won’t. I might come across as just blindly stepping into something I don’t know enough about, just so I can be with you, but I’ll keep my eyes open, trust me.”

  She crawled into his arms, her plate of toast forgotten on her lap. In the silence, they both felt just how much closer they could grow together, if only the shadow of time wouldn’t catch up with them and pull them apart.

  After breakfast, Josh took off with Ben to go back to Naabi’aani, and Hannah went to the beach with Ivy in a last-ditch effort to unwind. When Ivy and Hannah came back home by the end of the afternoon, Emily and Amber were playing a game of badminton on the lawn. Paul and Sarah were enjoying a glass of wine on the porch.

  “We’ve decided to work out,” Amber said with a large grin, when she hit the shuttlecock with a loud thwack and made it land on Emily’s head.

  “I can’t believe I’m wasting my afternoon off on this bullshit,” Emily moaned, rubbing her scalp.

  “That’s because you love me,” Amber laughed, skipping to her girlfriend and planting a kiss on her mouth. Emily’s arms snaked around her waist and she kissed Amber back.

  “Yeah, the two of you strike me as very ambitious,” Ivy taunted them. “I’ve never seen such driven people in my entire life.”

  Hannah listened to her friends’ banter with half attention. Her gaze drifted to her own
cabin. Where could Ben and Josh be? The Mustang was still gone. She’d hoped the guys would be back from Naabi’aani by now. Digging around in her bag, she found her cell, which started ringing the second she started to punch in Ben’s number. It was Ben. “Heya, sis. You back from the lakeside yet?”

  “Yeah, we just got back. Where are you?”

  “Still at Josh’s. Can you come to us tonight? Around ten?”

  “Yep.” She swallowed down the sudden lump in her throat. “Do you need anything?”

  “Cigarettes,” he replied dryly. “I’ve gone through one pack already. I’m kind of on edge.”

  “I’ll bring some,” she promised. “See you tonight.” She clicked off, stopping herself from asking more questions about the preparations Ben and Josh were undoubtedly making right now. They would stay in the village, which meant she would be alone until ten.

  “Will you be joining us for dinner?” Emily asked, who apparently caught the forlorn look in her eyes.

  “Yes, I’d love to.”

  Soon, she would have to make a lonesome trip in her Datsun. On one hand, it was good to make the drive to Naabi’aani by herself so she’d have her thoughts to herself, but on the other hand, she’d rather have had Josh and Ben with her. In the meantime, Ben had probably found out she was risking her life in this ritual. That would explain why he’d been smoking like a chimney all afternoon.

  When she got into the car at half past nine, darkness had fallen. Venus was visible as a twinkling star above the horizon. The sound of the engine drowned out the chirping crickets in the bushes on the roadside, but for some reason, the silence hanging in the red-brown desert still felt oppressive. She’d turned off the radio.

  When she parked the Datsun and cut the ignition, Hannah indecisively stared at Josh’s hoghan in the distance. A log fire was burning inside. Smoke rose from the smoke hole.

  She grabbed her bag, switched on her phone and called her mother.

  “Hey, Mom,” she said, hoping she sounded cheerful enough. “How are things over there?”

  “Fine! Have you seen my last e-mail with all the photos?”

  “Yeah, they were amazing.”

  “Aunt Beth wants to talk you and Ben into visiting her for Christmas, but I told her you’d probably want to go to St. Mary’s Port to celebrate Christmas with Josh. Am I right?”

  Hannah listened to her mom’s light-hearted chatter, putting in a ‘really?’ or ‘uh-huh’ every now and then.

  “Is everything all right with you?” her mom suddenly asked. “You sound kind of subdued.”

  “Oh, no, we’re fine.” Hannah lied. “I’m just tired. I haven’t slept much in the past few days.”

  “I see,” her mom drew out, and Hannah could visualize the cheeky grin spreading on her mom’s face. Suddenly, she choked with emotion. She wished there was a reason to grin like that about her sleepless nights with Josh. She wished she could see her mother’s face one more time before she launched into this precarious adventure with Ben and Josh. She missed her.

  “Mom, it was good hearing your voice,” she ended the conversation, her voice quivering a little. “I’ll e-mail you some pics soon, okay?”

  “Looking forward to that, pumpkin. Say hi to Ben from me. I love you guys!”

  “I love you too.” Hannah quickly switched off her phone and stared at it for a few seconds. Then, she got out and dragged herself to the hoghan with as much of a composed face as she could manage. She hoped her eyes weren’t red-rimmed from the tears she tried to hold back.

  Ben and Josh were inside. Ben had received his own medicine bundle in the meantime. It was dangling from a leather strap around his neck. He looked worn out.

  “Is everything ready?” she asked softly, sitting down between the two of them.

  Josh nodded. “We’ll head out to the cave in a few minutes. Sani is waiting for us there. I told Ben the whole story about the curse, about my life in the seventeenth century and the situation in Navajo Nation. He knows the whole background now.”

  Hannah felt Josh’s arm slipping around her shoulders, and she leaned into him, sighing inaudibly. “I just spoke to Mom on the phone,” she told her brother. “She said hi, and she loves you.”

  Ben blinked away a few tears. “Thanks,” he rasped, taking her hand. “I’ll protect you, okay? Everything will work out just fine.”

  “I brought you smokes,” Hannah blurted out quickly. She didn’t want to show Josh how emotional she was. It was hard enough for him as it was, guilt slowly eating at him ever since they’d agreed to help him with the ritual. If only her boyfriend could let go of things in the past. Maybe his burden would become lighter once he stopped believing he’d made the wrong decisions in the lives before this one.

  Ben eagerly took the three packs from her, lighting a cigarette immediately. “A smoke offering.”

  Hannah laughed nervously. “When are we going?”

  “Let’s just go now,” Josh suggested. “There’s no point sitting around any longer.”

  Her heart beating wildly, she got up, slipping her right hand into Josh’s hand. Ben took her left hand, and linked together they walked out of the village, into the mountains, under the light of the half moon. No one spoke, the silence only emphasized by their quiet footsteps on the dusty path, which gradually disappeared and made way for flat rocks.

  When they rounded a rocky outcropping, Hannah suddenly caught sight of Sani. He was sitting in front of the cave entrance, tending a fire with a small sandpainting next to it. The hataalii had put his jish in front of him. He silently stared into the flames.

  “It’s time to start the hóchxóó’ji ceremony,” he spoke softly, gesturing for them to sit down. Hannah shot an anxious look at the dark entrance to the cursed cave. A feeling of almost indescribable dread settled in the pit of her stomach, now that she was so close to the place where they were hiding. Her heart pounded in her chest.

  Sani gave her a friendly nod and smiled at her briefly before taking some yucca fiber from the jish and touching all three of them from head to toe with the plant. Josh handed him a few incense cones, which Sani lit and blew on to start the smoke. After that, the medicine man got up and walked to the cave. He dipped his hand in the bowl of corn pollen he’d brought along, carefully putting a handprint on the floor in front of the entrance in each of the cardinal directions. Now Josh handed his old friend a bundle of oak twigs from the jish, and Sani put one twig on each of the four handprints he’d made on the rocks.

  When the hataalii sat back down again, he picked up an object Hannah recognized as a groaning stick – a primitive musical instrument attached to a string of buckskin, which people whirled around in the air to chase away spirits with the roaring sound it made. Sani put the groaning stick in another bowl full of piñon needles, flipping the instrument several times to make sure it had been touched by the needles all over.

  “Lightning medicine,” Josh explained in a whisper. “The needles of a pine tree that has been hit by lightning. Sani uses it to invoke the power of the black lightning now.”

  Sani got up and started whirling the groaning stick, faster and faster, until the whine it made grew to a deafening high pitch. Hannah felt her spine tingle. She could see Ben felt dizzy too. It was like all the energy around the cave entrance was sucked into the groaning stick.

  Abruptly, the hataalii stopped whirling the stick and took it in his right hand, stepping into the cave. Hannah held her breath. “What’s he going to do?” she hissed to Josh, her eyes wide with fear.

  “He will use the tseen di’ni – the groaning stick – to touch the walls of the cave. That should extract the evil influence from the inside out. Don’t worry.”

  Despite Josh’s reassuring words, Hannah couldn’t help sighing with relief when Sani came out again in one piece. Again, he started to whirl the tseen di’ni around, casting the evil energy away into the air. She could clearly feel how part of the black shadow hovering over this place had gone.

  Ben
leaned against her shoulder, wiping the sweat from his face. “I feel sick,” he whispered. “For some reason, there’s too much energy flowing through the air. I can’t explain it.”

  “The evil has been partly eradicated,” she softly replied, and Josh next to her nodded in agreement. He grabbed her hand more tightly. The three of them watched Sani sit down on his own sandpainting, chanting softly. Josh joined in the chant. Then, the ceremony was ended by Sani throwing the sand of the ikaah away in all four cardinal directions, letting the wind blow away the demonic influences he had sucked out of the cave. The place had been cleaned up.

  “So what’s next?” Ben asked in a low voice, when Sani once again sat down at the entrance, getting his jish out for yet another ceremony that looked just as mysterious as the previous one.

  “We’re not supposed to actively do anything,” Josh replied. “We’ll stay here and we’ll try to contact the yenaldlooshi by meditation or dreams. I know that sounds scary, but the only way to beat them is to enter their world. So don’t panic when you sense them, or hear them, or even see them. You are both protected by the medicine pouches you’re wearing, and the small Evil Way ceremony that you have just witnessed. We will only enter the cave when Sani has finished doing the second part of his ritual. He is going to establish a pathway into the veil, allowing the three of us to step inside without losing track of each other.” He turned to Hannah. “It’s a little bit like what we did, but much more complicated. We’re not going to look at memories from the past, but we’ll be stepping into a small fragment of the past itself. What’s more, we have to stay conscious.”

  “Why?” Ben wanted to know.

  “If we really went off into a trance, the risk they’d influence our thoughts would be too great,” Josh said crisply.

  Hannah shivered when she thought back to the haunted house at the funfair. Those horrifying images would be forever impressed in her memory.