Reaching for the Stars

Chapter Eight

"It has been so long since I have tasted the delicacies of the living world, it tastes better than I remember, even if it is such simple offerings." The voice I heard was male, his voice full of longing, the image of him a mere shadow that I can't quite make out.

"Simple offerings, Amadeus? These are scraps compared to what I used to receive, I was worshipped by all who saw me, I received only the finest foods, this is nothing special." The voice was full of anger, displeasure, the shadow of a woman with a crown, her every movement tinkling with the gems that no doubt decorated her.

"Now, now, Atarah, that was when you were still alive, how long did those fine offerings last once you were dead? How long has it been since you received any offerings at all?" The longer they spoke, the more they came into focus, becoming almost full body shapes, with color and definitions, instead of the whisp of shadows I first saw.

"Is this any of your business Kallandra! I wasn't speaking to you!" Atarah's form came into view, and I realized I had been right, she wore a crown and was covered in jewels, wearing a beautiful silk gown, her red hair making the rubies she wore all the more alluring.

Kallandra's face was beautiful but undecorated by make up like Atarah, her straight black hair and quality clothes, though plain in comparison to Atarah, made her seem all the more different to her. "You may not have been speaking to me, but I've been listening to your complaining for centuries, it is about time I finally annoyed you back." They bickered like friends, or maybe even siblings, but I could hear the love even as they angered each other.

"Deidra and Isolde have long since slept the eternal sleep, when will the two of you? I will never sleep if I have to listen to the infernal racket of you two arguing all the time." This man was muscular and tan, looking nothing like the two I had already seen.

"Deidra and Isolde lost hope years ago, Kallandra and Atarah bicker to pass the time, who are you to try to silence them? We all know that their voices do not have any effect on whether you go into eternal slumber or not, Cato." A thinner man, lean with slight muscle, but nothing that would suggest he was truly strong, this voice I recognized as one who had spoken to before, about the offerings.

"Annoying as always Amadeus, must you always be the peace maker." Cato's voice was full of annoyance and yet I could still hear notes of pleasure, as if pleased he was no longer left out of the conversation.

"If he wasn't the peace maker perhaps you would have long gone to slumber and abandoned us all Cato." A thin man, this time with no muscle that I could see, he held a book in his hand, slowly flipping the pages, as if this was his first time reading it, though I couldn't imagine it was if he had died with it.

From what I had gathered, these were somehow the ghosts of the graves I cleaned and laid offerings at, supposedly my ancestors, but they all acted so close with each other, surely they couldn't have died in generations apart.

"Bohdi, I thought you were above getting involved with Cato's false bravado? We all know he will never go to the eternal sleep until the rest of us do, he is too afraid of being alone." This woman was beautiful but in a more natural way than Atarah, no jewels covered her, or makeup painted on her face, she wore a beautiful silk gown, a fan in her hand as she lounged on the ground, her light brown hair a contrast against her pale skin.

"Camala! My dear, I thought you had gone to slumber when your precious twin did, tell me can you feel Theron's feelings now when he has abandoned you here in the mortal world?" Cato's snark was obvious, but the way Camala flinched at the mention of her twin made me feel bad.

"Come now, my dear siblings, we have a guest among us, one who is still breathing, what a treat. May I assume you are the one who cleaned our resting places and gave us the delicious offerings?" Ice blue eyes appeared in front of my face, standing out against dark skin the color of bark, her white hair in long braids that trailed down her back.