Ch9 - Distinction

We must each act with distinction

Purpura walked thru the hall, guards greeted him politely.
He was in deep thought, as he approached the top of the stairs.
At the bottom of the stairs was Tynan, speaking to some foreign dignitaries.
Purpura was rather surprised at the change in Tynan since meeting Sin.

Not to say that he wasn't himself, he just seemed to have gained a measure of patience.
It was remarkable to watch, in Purpura's opinion.
Tynan was speaking with a couple different dignitaries, from multiple countries.
He was somehow managing to broker peace between the countries.
Purpura smiled, Sin had a strange effect on everyone.

All five countries had refused to even consider peace deals, unless the Heartless Empire offered support.
Before, Tynan's mother had refused, publicly stating that the Heartless Army was spread too thin as it was.
Privately, she had simply wanted them to keep fighting and swoop in when they were weakest.
Tynan had been spending the past month brokering peace treaties, and trade agreements.
He was practically creating a new age of peace, and boosting the global economy at the same time.

Purpura knew though that the Queen was secretly fuming.
Tynan was going against many of her decisions and her desires.
But his position as ruler was stronger than her's.
She was the Queen consort, which gave her no blood ties to the title.
Once Tynan was of age, he'd be crowned king.
And she would simply be the king's mother.

Purpura knew that day was approaching much too fast for her.
Less than 20yrs, and that would pass in the blink of an eye.
Especially given that he was confidently taking over so many aspects.
Purpura's smile changed to a smirk, he imagined by the time of the official crowning Tynan would be king in all but name.
The dignitaries went into a room, and Tynan glanced to Purpura before gesturing for him to come down.
Purpura came down the stairs, and over.

"I need you to be my eyes and ears out here.
My mother has invited some guests, 
And I want to ensure she doesn't try to twist them against me.
If she starts, warn me so I can intervene."
Purpura nodded, and Tynan went inside.
Purpura pulled out a trinket, he glanced over.
The engraving matched the emblem carved into the floor, and      decorating the banners.

After their previous adventure, Tynan had gotten the device enchanted as a communicator.
Mostly it just flashed, and buzzed on either end if they were needed by the other.
Purpura put the device away, and looked about. 
He needed a good hiding spot, he looked to the large doors in between the stairs.
That was where she often hosted guests.

But that wasn't a guarantee, especially if she had ill intentions.
He glanced to a guard, one of Tynan's.
He pulled out his notebook and wrote a bit, before walking to the guard and subtly handing the guard the note.
He then went back to where Tynan was hosting his meeting.
He pulled up his face mask, and leaned against the door.
A guard was often overlooked, and thus his plan was simple but efficient.

After a few minutes the guests arrived and the door man let them in.
The queen then entered, seeming to notice Purpura in the corner of her eye but didn't act.
She ignored him, and engaged her guests.
They both knew with his presence she wouldn't start anything, at least not until she and the guests were more secluded.
In the past few months, she seemed to have come to recognize that Tynan was quick to act if Purpura brought anything to his attention.
Purpura felt weird, like he was acting as a spy more than an assassin at times.

It wasn't long before she ushered them away, down the hall.
Saying something about having something to show them.
Purpura didn't like that, but it wasn't enough.
He watched them leave before moving to the guard again.
The guard offered a piece of paper, and Purpura took it.

It was a crude map, with dots.
Each dot represented a guard, or servant.
They were on alert to the queen's presence.
If she passed by, they were to prick themselves.
It was a simple but efficient way to track her without being suspicious.

Purpura could easily track the blood pricks.
He had practiced with Tynan a couple times, and once with the princess.
But he'd never attempted it on the queen.
He looked up, sensing the first prick.
He glanced the map, and nodded to the guard before hurrying off.
Purpura went up the stairs, and hurried along sensing the next prick.
He could track her without seeing her.
He glanced the map, to consider where she could be going.

He then hurried along, he paused, they'd gone further down.
He hurried to some stairs and crept down them.
He glanced out the door frame, and began down further.

He heard them, and slowed himself.
He didn't wanna get to close, he knew Tynan could tell his specific shadow from others.
But from what Tynan said she couldn't, simply because she didn't know enough about him.
That didn't mean she wouldn't sense another presence.

He crept slowly, sensing another prick.
They were heading rather far down.
Purpura wished he could track all the dignitaries.
But three of the five weren't blooded demons, meaning he couldn't track them.
He crept slowly, he knew they were in neutral land but this far down...
The 'neutral' guards wouldn't hesitate to kill him.

Finally they moved out of the stairs.
He barely got to the bottom, and had to stay against the wall.
He heard them talking, the Queen was boasting about her surprise.
She opened a door, and they all filed in.
Purpura heard the door practically slam closed and peaked around the corner.
He to the door and put his ear against the door, listening.
He could hear nothing.

The heart rate of the two dignitaries he could hear was steady.
He didn't like this, he couldn't see them.
Couldn't hear them talk, and could only sense two of the six people inside.
He took a deep breath, focusing on the two, they were a couple of feet from the door.
He stepped back and looked about, the walls down here were purposefully thick and sound proof.
Suddenly the door swung open, and there was the Queen with a smirk.

"Hello there, Purpura.
Please, do come in."

Purpura stared at her, glancing behind to the dignitaries.
They all seemed unimpressed, and not at all surprised.
The Queen's smirk was too predominant.
He knew this was bad, but he couldn't exactly turn away and deny her.
Tynan had asked him to watch them.
Purpura gently stepped forward, as the Queen ushered him in.

He watched her, not stepping next to the dignitaries.
She closed the door, and looked back to them.
"My friends, this is my dear son's assassin.
He is professional, and very proficient."
She gestured to Purpura a bit.

Purpura was watching her cautiously,
And she added "And naturally suspicious of everyone except my son,
Like a private assassin should be."
The dignitaries seemed to chuckle.
She gave Purpura a cruel, knowing smirk.

He was racing thru what her possible plan was.
She then turned to the dignitaries, before the ground seemed to leap to action.
Shadows suddenly began attacking the dignitaries.
They reacted quickly, to defend themselves.
But the queen was stronger and faster.

Purpura went wide-eyed, he wasn't sure what to do.
Before the queen suddenly waved her hand and the shadow sliced a dignitary.
They screamed in agony, and Purpura ran over.
He created a compression on the woman's wound.
He heard the others begin to fall and cry out in agony.

Purpura touched his pocket and patted the device three times.
He moved quickly, he had to stop her before she killed them.
She laughed, "Why Purpura, why did you kill them?"
Purpura felt his stomach drop, that was her plan.

Kill the dignitaries, blame Purpura, thus blame Tynan.
Tynan would be considered each country's enemy, and war would almost be guaranteed.
A shadow leapt at him, and he quickly blocked it.
She laughed, Purpura shook his head, she intended to kill him too.
He couldn't refute her story if he was dead.

And she could win support, by having killed the assassin that killed the dignitaries.
A shadow grabbed his leg, he quickly used blood to release himself.
He moved and heard the dignitaries trying to fight, but they weren't fighters.
They were losing, and the cries made it clear it wasn't pretty.

Purpura low charged, and threw blood needles at the queen.
He needed to distract her long enough for Tynan to get down here.
What was taking him so long?
She effortlessly blocked the attack, and Purpura decided the best course of action was hand-to-hand.
He couldn't risk her connecting that he was a blood demon, again.
His life was practically forfeit if she did.

She was blocking with shadows, as he did his best to distract her.
He couldn't risk looking back to the dignitaries, he didn't want to distract himself with their situation.
He heard the door being pounded on, and the queen looked away long enough for him to get a solid hit in on her leg.
Not that it was enough to beat her, only enough to buckle her leg for a moment.
However he couldn't move to grab the door, as he imagined the queen had created a shadow barrier.
A barrier which could keep out other shadow demons, it was why Tynan hadn't simply materialized in the room.

In his motion she grabbed his arm, he turned to punch her.
Before he jolted in pain, his whole body felt frozen.
His eyes looked down to see her hand inside his chest.
"I knew you were a blood demon years ago, but could never prove it.
I doesn't matter now, you'll die either way."

The door practically blasted open, and Purpura's eyes glanced to see Tynan and a full complement of guards.
He then felt a jerk, and dropped to the ground.
His chest began to burn, and he felt himself shaking as the pain slowly radiated.
Motionlessly, he watched.

Just as he had hit the ground, Tynan had practically tackled his mother and the two were fighting.
Purpura looked to the dignitaries, they were all dead.
Even without the Queen saying Purpura was to blame, their respective kingdoms would be enraged.
Heartless was considered a safe kingdom for dignitaries.
If Tynan lied, and said it was Purpura they'd blame him.
If Tynan stated it was the Queen, they'd blame the kingdom.

Tynan couldn't possibly win.
Purpura felt himself shaking more violently, he was trying so hard to not use blood manipulation.
He remembered her saying it would kill him faster, and make it more painful.
Not that this wasn't already extremely painful.

Finally Tynan was walking over to him.
He was out of breath, and the queen was a motionless heap in the corner.
Tynan knelt down infront of Purpura.
He gently lifted Purpura up, and held him close.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry." He whispered.

A guard came over, and placed his hand on Tynan's shoulder.
"My king... the dignitaries are dead."
Tynan looked up to the guard, then the dignitaries.
He then looked to Purpura in his arms.
Purpura's eyes were closed, and he wasn't shaking anymore. He was gone.
He spoke firmly, "Collect their remains for a public funeral."

"And Purpura?" the guard asked.
Tynan gently moved his arms, and stood lifting Purpura.
"I will take Purpura's remains to his family." He said, before vanishing in a flurry of shadows.