Shadow of Time: The Lost Years: Shadow of Time, #2

By Jen Minkman

The Americas, 1534.

A young Navajo man goes on a vision quest to commune with the spirits and find out what his life path should be. Little does he know that his meeting with the Bear, his spirit guide, will change him for good and turn his life upside down. In fact, life has more years in store for him than he could have ever imagined...

This is a companion novella to Shadow of Time. Do not read if you haven't read the previous book!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jen Minkman
• Release date: Mar 3, 2015
• ISBN: 9781507019931

Jen Minkman

Jen Minkman (1978) was born in the Netherlands and lived in Austria, Belgium and the UK during her studies. She learned how to read at the age of three and has never stopped reading since. Her favourite books to read are (YA) paranormal/fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian and romance, and this is reflected in the stories she writes. In her home country, she is a trade-published author of paranormal romance and chicklit. Across the border, she is a self-published author of poetry, paranormal romance and dystopian fiction. So far, her books are available in English, Dutch, Chinese, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Afrikaans. She currently resides in The Hague where she works and lives with her husband and two noisy zebra finches.

Book preview

1520 – 1598

1534

I can feel the wind blowing across my face when I open my eyes again and find myself staring out over the plain. The mountain top I chose to accomplish my vision wake is now covered in darkness. For two days and nights I have been here, trying to find the vision that will give direction to my life. Now I know what that direction is, but I feel a certain reluctance. What Shash has shown me I still cannot completely comprehend.

The people who will come to this land from across the sea simply cannot be real. No people walking the earth can possibly think that they own the land. You cannot hold it and take it with you. Instead, the land holds you and leads you to places that, before, only existed in your mind. Can anybody claim to have the right to a sunset, a flowing river, a flying deer? I have hunted deer with my father, but how could I be so misguided as to think that it is my right to kill the animal? We are grateful to the creature for laying down its life for us, and we honor its memory by burning incense.

Peace. Before I went on my way to start my vision quest, the word kept coming up in my head while I was sitting in the ‘inipi’, the sweat lodge. Shash used the word, too. You will be a peace leader, he said. "True peace means balance, hózhó. Now that you share my powers, you can make sure that your people will know peace."

I wonder if I can. What will they think of me when I return to the camp, to the group of hataalii? Where others can expect to become hunters, or singers, or tanners, I am going to trouble them with tales about men with hairy faces who may not even exist, and with whom I am supposed to make peace. I feel lonely, and I hope my father, one of the oldest hataalii of the camp, can help me deal with my vision. Perhaps he will send me away again to spend more time in the wilderness on my own because it seems I have not paid proper attention. When I see the first tents of the camp, I do not feel merely lonely – all of a sudden, I feel terribly old. The younger children with whom I played games only last weekend, and the boys with whom I made bets about how many deer our fathers and brothers would shoot, seem to be miles away from me. I am a grown-up now and ready to face real life – or I should be, at least.

I walk toward our tent. Happy to see me, the dog starts barking. My mother and little sister are sitting outside, scraping skins. I embrace my mother who is glad that I am back.

"Ya’at’eeh, shiyáázh, she says and nods towards the tent.  Nizhé’é, your father, is inside, waiting for you."

Have you been given a new name? is the first question my father asks me. He looks up at me, eager to hear my words.

Shash, I answer, pointing to the spot that has magically appeared on my skin under the breast bone.

He smiles at me, full of pride. "A fine, proper power has been given to you, shiye’, he says. What is your task?"

I sigh. That is what I would like to discuss with you and the others. I have had a mysterious vision.

My father frowns. "Tonight we have a meeting with all the hataalii. There you can ask us what you want to know. He clears his throat. You are not supposed to tell us exactly what you have seen. Some things are for your eyes only."

I think that this is something that affects us all, I remark.

The look in my father’s eyes becomes even more curious. Then you can speak tonight, he says. We will meet when the sun has set and the moon is above Tsoodzil.

Outside the tent I look towards Tsoodzil, the sacred mountain, and involuntarily my hand moves toward the ‘birthmark’ on my breast bone.

Shash, help me tonight, I pray silently. "Asdz Nádleehé, Changing Woman, give me enough wisdom to know what is the best thing to do."

––––––––

"Shitsílí?"

I look into the face of my elder brother Gaagii. Today, he has joined my uncle and the other hunters, and he looks tired but contented. Gaagii is the fastest man on foot in our clan – when he runs at top speed he can run as fast as the deer that the men hunt and everyone is happy that he has developed into a worthy member of our camp.

"Aoo’, shínaaí?" I ask.  I move aside, so that Gaagii can sit next to me on the rock beside the river, where I have gone to think. The skin of his upper body is decorated with paint shaped like the footprints of a bear to give him extra power during the hunt. I smile. Gaagii, too, invokes the power of Shash.

What did you tell them? He means the council that I addressed last night. They treat you – differently.

Just for a moment it sounds as if he is jealous, but when I look aside, I see only a look of concern in his eyes. He does not understand what has changed, and, indeed, I do not completely understand it myself.

Aditsan, the oldest hataalii of the camp, had listened attentively to my story yesterday and silenced the others when they wanted to interrupt me.

I have seen you during my own vision quest, he’d said at last. You have been announced. You are the person who will protect our people through the centuries, although I was never told what the danger is that will threaten us.

"Have you really seen me during your vision wake?" I’d asked in awe.

Aditsan had nodded, a smile playing around his lips. At the time, the council thought that I was crazy, but I have always remembered what my task is – to guide you. I have waited for you.

The others had remained silent, looking at me in disbelief.

Now I am officially an apprentice of our senior hataalii, and I have been given a strange kind of upper status. My family do not understand anything of the sudden respect that is shown to me, except my father. The council decided not to make it known to others, and keep my task a secret for the time being.

"Do not worry, shínaaí, I say putting my hand on his shoulder. I am still your brother. I just look at life from a different perspective now. That is all."

Now that I hear myself speaking I realize that it is true: I can feel the power of my totem animal flowing through my body, expanding my view of the world around me. I will need that broader view to be able to understand the enemy that is approaching our land. Understanding is what I want to achieve more than anything, as it is only through understanding the alien culture of the intruders that I will be able to achieve peace.

What have you seen? Gaaghi insists.

I stare ahead of me, my eyes fixed on the horizon. A man with fair skin and a hairy face, who thinks he was made in the image of God.

Gaagii grins. That is impossible. God is everywhere, in everything around us.

This man does not know that, I continue in a soft voice. He thinks that he must own the world, that the animals and plants that live in it are his, that power can be gained by making other people afraid, and that he knows best how people should live.

The smile dies in Gaagii’s face. How frightening, he says quietly. Do you think that this man would also come and hunt our brothers the deer, who feed and sustain us?

I close my eyes, remembering the images of slaughtered buffalos bleeding to death, their hides cut from their bodies, their flesh rotting in the hot air under

Reviews for Shadow of Time

[llyramoon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love it when I come across a book that sounds interesting upon reading the summary but then becomes so much more when you actually read the book. The writing was excellent, story line unique and very well researched. This book incorporated clean romance, Native American spiritualism (specifically Navajo), supernatural/paranormal content, historical references, and included characters that don't fit the normal 'type'- which was quite refreshing to me, however some may be uncomfortable with reading about characters that fall outside the 'norm.' For instance you have age differences, smokers, lesbians and spiritual shamans verses a typical young adult romance that features the 'girl next door' and her 'crush' down the street. What I loved about the characters were how intertwined they became... like an extended family. You can feel the closeness, trust and love between them which made the main characters connection even more real.Hannah and Josh, the two main love interests in this book, grew up together each summer but haven't seen each other in four years. When they reunite there is an instant attraction which is awkward at first for Hannah since she is about 6 years older than Josh. At the beginning the attraction seems rushed however as the story progresses you find out why they have an instant connection and root for them. This story stayed with me for days after reading it. I've read a few Native American fiction and I feel that this was very well done. However, not being of Navajo decent I cannot state whether the author's depictions are accurate. But, to me, it was well done (especially when I read the author notes about never stepping foot on Navajo soil!).If you enjoy supernatural, paranormal, and not-your-typical romance then you will enjoy this book. Recommend for Young Adult and older.

[wolffaerie17 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hannah Darson comes her mother's cabin at St. Mary's Point for summer vacation to get away from it all. Hannah's brother Ben is also there. Hannah hopes to reconnect with her best friend Emily Benally and her brother Josh. Upon meeting Josh again Hannah feels an undeniable attraction to him that she can't quite seem to explain to herself or anyone else. Hannah is attacked by three strange men which leads to her having haunting nightmares about a Navajo village and Josh. Josh is also attracted to Hannah but he's also keeping a secret from everyone. He remembers all of his past lives so he can help his people. Will Josh tell his secret? Who are these strange men? Will Hannah or Josh admit their attraction? Your answers await you in Shadow of Time.This unique version of time travel isn't like other time travel books. The Navajo customs and traditions were what made this book special in my opinion. The characters were honest, real, down to earth, compelling, heart warming, and heart breaking too. The story was bold, rich, compelling, and haunting. I will definitely read more of this author's work in the future.

[belletaylor · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The research on this book was incredible. I was quite surprised to find out at the end of the book that the author had never even been to the Navajo reservation. She definitely had me fooled and impressed me.There's part romance, part mystery and history and part paranormal in this story. The characters had an interesting journey through time and I liked them more and more once I found out how things were all linked together.

[jenminkman_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

From the author:'Shadow of Time' is the reason I wanted to become a published author. Therefore, this book is very special to me. I used to just write for fun, never really considering taking the long and winding road to publication, until I was working on this story. After I managed to get a book deal for 'Schaduw van de Tijd' (which is what the book is called in Dutch, the language I originally wrote it in), I decided to then translate my own book into English so I could self-publish it worldwide through Amazon. I hope that readers all over the world will enjoy my books just as much as my Dutch fans do. The English edition is going on a book blog tour in January 2013 to promote the Kindle and paperback release of this book - my first paranormal romance novel in English. And the funny thing is that it will be released before the Dutch edition... self-publication is a lot faster, it turns out!Excerpts from reviews on Goodreads: ' there was obviously a great amount of research done on Navajo Nation, their traditions and lore, language, and history.' ... 'this was a really enjoyable paranormal mystery with a great portion of romance.' ... ' Finally something original (no more vampires) and back-upped by a great research.' ... ' From the start Shadow of Time draws you in. The chemistry between Hannah and Josh is electric! The reader is thrown into a journey of epic proportions. An ancient curse and a love that defies time itself keeps you guessing and swooning at the same time.' ...

[tanat-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Shadow of Time by Jen Minkman

First I have to say this book was amazing, and I found the authors writing and the research it must have taken to write this story was truly fantastic. Shadow of Time is well written, the characters and story line were captivating, and I couldn’t put this book down. I have to say Jen Minkman has written a very original story and I found myself truly caught up in this novel.

We first meet Hannah who travels to their summer home to hang out with her brother during the summer holidays. Hannah who teaches French is looking forward spending time with her brother and relaxing. When she bumps into her brothers best friend Josh she is shocked to see it is the same man she was checking out at the gas station earlier. He has grown into a tall dark gorgeous young man.

Josh and Hannah can feel the attraction and the pull towards each other, Hannah does struggle a bit as Josh is 17 years old compared to her 23. But she cannot control the attraction she is feeling and knows Josh is feeling the same.

Things are going well for Hannah, but at night Hannah is having some strange dreams that involve the Navajo people and Josh. Her dreams are starting to frighten her, not sure what to do with the images she sees in her dreams she starts to wonder if they could be real?

Shadow of Time is a paranormal romance novel but so unique and original that you can’t help but get caught up in this story. Hannah is a great character and she seems very real I really enjoyed how she handled things and the way the author kept her character more true to life then some of the other female characters in books.

I loved all the history of the Navajo people and its culture to be truthful I was so caught up in learning about this that sometime it was a bit more interesting then Hannah and Josh, but I do love romance.
Josh was a harder character to understand at first he was so on and off with Hannah I wasn’t sure what was going on, but the story had me so captivated I couldn’t wait to see this relationship grow.

I have rated Shadow of Time a 4.5 star rating, and Jen Minkman is one fantastic author, I would recommend Shadow of Time to anyone who is reading my review to go get yourself a copy of Shadow of Time. I would definitely read anything Jen Minkman writes in the future.