The city of Teredkar boomed with celebration and festivities, following the coronation of the fifth Imperial Sovereign of Elaia. It was the eleventh day of the nineteen-day commemoration period and Gesahara was already bored. She lounged in the cushioned seat of her extravagant canopy at the Grand Arena of Teredkar, as gladiatorial matches were being conducted in the grounds below. The arena was filled to the brim with nearly sixty thousand spectators. That number included nobility, merchants, artisans, professional workers, and even common labourers, especially the common labourers.
During the commemoration festival period, entry to the stands of the arena was sponsored by the crown and hence free for people who were lucky enough to gain the pass. The other stands as well weren't overly expensive due to exemption from paying various types of tariffs to the government. As a result, most self-employed merchants could afford to buy comfortable seats for their families and the outer stands, which were free, were left empty for the lower class.
The match going on currently was an imitation of a siege, with one team of gladiators fighting on and defending a wooden platform while the opposing team tried to capture the platform by seizing the flag at it's centre. Each team had eight members which included three spear fighters, two warriors using a pair of shortswords and two net-throwing skirmishers. The match wasn't a fight to death and the gladiator who were severely injured would have to withdraw, since they were quite expensive. Also their owners wouldn't want to see profitable investments go waste in a random public match.
"Are they done yet, Tori?" Gesahara asked, throwing a grape into a jug of wine on the table at the other side of the canopy. It was a little game she came up with to cope with boredom.
Tori was the nickname Gesahara used to refer to Artori, son of Warmaster Yesevan. Artori was a curly haired Elaian man with a slightly plump physique, which had only developed recently due to his extended stay in the Capital. He was also the man Gesahara was currently courting, since all of his characteristics established him as an ideal candidate to be the Imperial Consort. More importantly, he treated Gesahara as a person rather than a title, listening and talking to her with a casual mindset.
"Not quite yet," He looked at her from his wooden seat which was placed at the edge of the canopy, giving him a direct view of the arena grounds, "If things are as they are, it seems that the attacking team will be eliminated soon. They have already lost four members, two of them being net-throwers."
"Janire," Gesahara called the nearest maidservant, she made a point to always memorize names and faces of all her close servants, "Tell the Arena Master that I'm declaring the match a draw. And also tell him to start the chariot races, they are damn more interesting."
"Forgive me, Your Imperial Majesty," It was Karinus, the middle-aged bearded man who happened to be the city steward and was only below the Empress herself when it came to any matters regarding anything in the city, "I am afraid you cannot do that."
"Yes," Gesahara said after a moment, nodding thoughtfully, "I understand. The horses might not be ready and preparing them for the race would take up a lot of time. And, I doubt the charioteers would be able to perform well if they are called by surprise."
"It's not that, Your Imperial Majesty," Karinus said softly, "But you cannot call off Crown-sanctioned matches. It would be like turning back on your word and it would also upset the people."
"That really sucks," Gesahara tossed another grape into the wine jug, "I'm beginning to doubt whether being the Empress is worth it or not."
Artori whistled with amusement. The steward had a confused look on his face. He didn't know Gesahara as well as he knew the other children of Gesar, since she had spent most of her adolescence and youth campaigning in the Eastern Frontier. Maybe that was why Karinus was shocked to learn that Gesahara didn't enjoy bloodsport, especially gladiatorial matches.
"What?" Gesahara asked skeptically, "I think gladiator fights are just a waste of good resources. It's like burning away harvested crops or throwing caught fish back into the sea. You don't see farmers or fishermen doing that, do you?"
"No, Your Majesty," the steward replied softly.
"Then why should we, the soldiers and generals, force the slaves we fought so hard to capture fight each other to death just for cheers and laughter." Gesahara implored, "It makes no damn sense! That man, the one beside the flag, could be plowing fields or working at a construction site and give much more fruitful returns as a slave. Instead, he's fighting for the entertainment of people who probably have never even seen combat."
"What are you ranting about now, Ges?" A voice spoke from the canopy's side.
Gesahara turned to find a familiar face in bold blue robes. It was Shihara, of course. Only he was eccentric enough among those who could call her by her childhood name instead of her Imperial title and get away with it with nothing but a judging look from those watching.
"Nothing new, as you might say," Gesahara aimed and threw another grape in the jug, "Just that these matches are dumb and the slaves would be much better of doing some manual or, if they are literate, clerical labour. It's just a waste of money to make them fight for the crowd."
"That's where you are wrong, cousin," Shihara went to the table, picked out a wine soaked grape from the jug and placed it in his mouth, "You think this is a waste of money, but the taxes we collect from bookmakers from the Arena during a match days is equivalent to the tariffs from a countryside town."
"What?" Gesahara wasn't expecting this explanation. Economics wasn't a subject she had concentrated on as a scholar's ward.
"It's just the way how money works," Shihara sighed, taking a seat adjacent to Gesahara, "Hey, Artori, who did you place the bets on?"
"The blue, obviously," Artori replied, indicating the defending team, "You, Shi?"
"Oh, I didn't place any bets," Shihara replied, "Actually, I just arrived at the Arena." He turned to Gesahara, "I have an important piece of information for you. Tribune Rufio has failed you."
"Ridiculous!" Gesahara laughed, "His capture of Nydekar has been confirmed by multiple sources. Some of the reports I have read are from the most trusted informants we have. You surely must be mistaken."
"Your reports aren't incorrect, and Nydekar Rufio did capture." Shihara agreed, "But, he wasn't able to retrieve the Relic."
"Unable to retrieve the Relic?" Gesahara's eyes sparked with electricity, giving a glimpse of the Power she binded, "Are you sure about this, Shi?"
"It happened so," Shihara relaxed his composure to ease up the tension in the canopy, "That this morning, I was chatting with the captain of a ship that rescued some survivors who were victims of a maelstrom somewhere west of the Cape of Narl."
"And?" Gesahara prompted.
"These survivors were soldiers belonging to the legion you assigned to Rufio for attacking Nydekar." Shihara added, "And it seems that they were in pursuit of someone important enough for their ship to venture into a maelstrom."
"The Relic's binder." Gesahara realised.
"Sharp as always, cousin," Shihara grinned, "Anyways, the survivors claim to have a rough idea of the binder's appearance and it seems highly unlikely that the binder perished in the storm. So, what do you think we should do next?"
"I'm sorry, Shi." Gesahara said humbly, "I should have listened to you when you told me that retrieving the Relics is not a task for the military."
"Why do people always realise that after something goes wrong?" Shihara sighed.
"I'm giving you the direct command of the Allseers," Gesahara told.
"Pardon me," Shihara sat straight back up, "But what?"
Allseers were an elite unit of spies, investigators, assassins, infiltrators and what not. They were not a permanent organisation of the Imperial Administration. Instead they were only assembled in dire times, which had only happened twice before, once during Talenhara's unification war and second time when Prince Danhar rebelled against his sister. Needless to say, being in command of Allseers was an immense honor and a gargantuan responsibility.
"Artori and Karinus shall be the witnesses as they are noblemen of high enough birth," Gesahara said and cleared her throat, "I, Empress Gesahara the First of Elaia, by the power bestowed upon me by the Will of my Ancestor and the Writs of the Prophet, call for reformation of the Allseers under the supreme command of Shihara, son of Lupana and descendant of Talenhara."
"I, Artori, son of Yesevan, bear witness to this." Artori said.
"I, Karinus, son of Onadi, bear witness to this." The steward said.
"Don't you think this is a bit too formal?" Shihara said nervously.
"It is what it is," Gesahara spoke, "Shi, I am trusting you to retrieve the Relics. Use mercenaries, use bounty hunters, take any course of action you wish. But retrieve the Relics for Me and the Empire."