"Oh, Quinn! This place is amazing!" Jay exclaimed as he stared around at the wooden arena that surrounded us.

I just grunted out an impressed noise, too bewildered to speak further. Though the arena had been no secret, that morning was the first time that anybody had seen it outside of the troupe that had originally built it. Wooden seated areas rose from a levelled floor that was circular and sand-strewn; the entire structure was large enough to be almost overwhelming.

"The 'Circus Maximus'," Jay continued with a breathy sigh. "It certainly is that."

I gave him a wry smile before I said - "It was also jokingly called the 'Circus of the Damned' if you'll remember right."

That colloquialism had also been floated around Esterloch but it seemed to refer to some of the fights that were deemed to take place in the arena rather than the structure itself. Chariot races and re-enactments of past battles were billed, with the victors lording it over the historical vanquished - otherwise known as 'the damned.'

"So. Quinn! Jay! D'you reckon this passes muster?" Rowan asked as he wandered over.

The elf looked no less impressed than Jay and I did as he propped his fists on his hips and stared around at the arena. As we were all Elders of Esterloch, it was our duty to inspect the place, to ensure that the structure retained its integrity and safety.

I could give my opinion on it within my expertise as a blacksmith. Rowan was a carpenter by trade so could further my expertise with a keener eye. Jay, as a stablehand, could give his own opinion on the stables where the horses were destined to be kept.

"Looks pretty fine to me," I opined and Rowan nodded out his agreement.

"The stables look pretty safe and secure," Jay further confirmed and lost his usual cheeky dimpled smile in favour of a serious look.

We nodded at his pronouncement before Rowan said - "So. Are we agreed? We can sign off on this and let the festivities go ahead next week as planned?"

"Absolutely," both Jay and I chorussed.

Rowan merely grinned and nodded in acceptance.

****

The following week, more people piled into Esterloch itself - which included both visitors to Circus Maximus and the troupe members themselves. The extra trade pleased both shopkeepers and market traders alike. I also found myself quite busy shoeing horses, even though it was something I didn't usually do; I preferred leaving that job to the farriers while I concentrated on other smithing techniques.

Eventually, it was time to settle down and enjoy the show so all audience members began to congregate at the arena. As was tradition, all the Elders and high-born of the surrounding area took to the lower levels. Jay and I took our places amidst the other Esterloch Elders, near the front of the sanded staging area.

We soon began cheering on the chariot races, the reenactments of ancient battles and the scantily clad 'warriors' fighting each other. It came as a surprise when animals of all kinds - most of which were exotic to us - joined the fray. There were striped and spotted big cats of all colours, wolves, bears and even some kind of shifters there which surprised Jay and me. As dragon-shifters ourselves, to see other beings similar to us was a bit unexpected.

Soon the intermission arrived, allowing everybody to take a refreshment break. Jay went to fetch us some food from some of the vendors that wandered around with various wares on display.

He didn't return.

****

"Hey, Quinn. Where's Jay?" Rowan asked five minutes later.

Distracted by Jay's disappearance, I asked what the elf had said and he repeated himself.

I scowled before I said - "He went off to get some food. I was expecting him back by now."

Rowan could see my worry clear on my face and the slender elf also frowned in worry. He didn't get the chance to speak further, however. He turned alarmed eyes onto me when I sat bolt upright in my seat with a cry of distressed alarm.

I'd seen, over my mated soul bond with Jay, that he'd suffered some kind of blow - most likely to the head. A mingled blast of confused colours denoting pain and anguish exploded behind my eyes and gave me an instant headache. I was soon aware of Rowan's cool hand on my arm as he shook me.

"Quinn! What is it? What happened?" Rowan asked urgently.

He was, of course, aware of the bond that I shared with Jay, that was peculiar to dragon-shifters like us.

"Something's happened to Jay. He's in pain," I said and frowned. "Unconscious somewhere now, I think."

"Let's find him. Quickly!" Rowan asked before he attracted the attention of his wife seated on his opposite side.

He filled Sarosi in on what had happened and the pretty elf gave me a concerned glance.

"We must find him," she agreed but I had already slipped out of my seat to do just that.

****

The elves followed in my footsteps as we made our way towards the trees that bordered the Circus Maximus. Those trees made up part of the Esterloch Forest; it was well known to be an accursed and even extremely dangerous place if a traveller didn't stick to the designated paths.Even the paths could prove malignant if a person wasn't diligent enough. Malevolent magical energies swirled around us and on more than one occasion, I was aware of things creeping through the trees, watching us yet never quite approaching.

It seemed as though the very air was charged with nightmares; it almost felt to me as though the trees could come alive and attack us at any given moment. I kept on my guard just in case on the forest path, yet nothing ever happened. The threat remained, however.

Rowan and Sarosi both had their daggers in hand yet I could tell that they both wished for their bows - both had left their preferred weapons at home, unfortunately. The elves seemed just as on edge as I felt right then.

I had to rely of course on my natural strength, lent to me via many an hour at the Forge and of course by my dragon-shifter side. I flexed my hands, anger building in me at the thought that Jay had been so rudely taken from me.

I didn't speak and neither did the elves yet on occasion, I was aware of their worried glances as they followed me deeper between the trees, as we travelled further along the forest's path. I closed my eyes on occasion, tried to pinpoint my mate's exact whereabouts and managed to garner a location to perhaps within a few feet of it. I just followed where the blasts of colour seemed strongest; that technique had always worked in the past.

Soon we stumbled into a camp area, where a few of the Circus Maximus personnel lingered. Cages had been erected and in one of them, Jay lay on the ground, unconscious. I roared with rage-filled anguish at the sight, which attracted the attention of more than one of the troupe members.

"How dare you?" I roared at the nearest person to me.

"You should not be here. It is forbidden," the man said in an exotic accent. "This camp is for troupe members only. Go back to the arena for the main events."

"I shall not! No one tells me what to do! I am an Alpha dragon-shifter! You have stolen someone who belongs to me," I roared as I pointed directly into his face at close range.

"I have done no such thing," the man said with great innocence stamped clear across his face.

"You're a liar," I hissed at him even as Rowan and Sarosi directed their daggers to the man's throat.

The remainder of the troupe members began to gather with curiosity in their gazes even as Sarosi pointed towards the somnolent Jay.

Her voice took on a note of hissing menace as she said - "You have taken an Alpha dragon's mate. Better give him back or he'll kill you."

The man laughed outright at Sarosi's words, obviously unbothered by the pressing presence of daggers at his throat and the female elf's threat. That laugh angered me even more and I began to change into my dragon self. I roared again, flames arcing out from between draconic jaws as the milling troupe members began to run away. I ripped and slashed at the cages before I lifted Jay gently from the ground. My mate began to stir and he stared up at me with a smile.

"Quinn! You came for me," he said even as he glared around him. "Where am I anyway?"

I couldn't answer him in my dragon form. Instead, I merely placed him gently on my back as I trampled the last of the troupe's accursed cages into the ground. There were none of the troupe left yet I didn't care for them. I cared only for Jay.

I felt a cool hand on my leg and Rowan shouted up at me - "Quinn! We're going to get the troupe members who've run off. Go back to Esterloch and get Kirrin and Amber. The Law-Keepers will sort this out."

I nodded my great draconic head at him before I launched myself into the air over the trees. From there it was a short flight to the cabin I shared with my mate and I deposited Jay upon the verandah mere seconds after I'd landed.

I then grabbed the clothing that Jay grabbed from inside for me and arced down into the valley - and town - of Esterloch. I changed from a dragon into a human before I dressed and ran through the streets, looking for the Law-Keepers. It took me a while to find Kirrin and Amber as they were on patrol, looking for troublemakers as was their wont.

I described to the Chief and her deputy what had happened as swiftly as I could; once they'd ascertained as much as they needed to know, they deigned to follow me.

I actually carried the pair of them to the campsite, on my back in my dragon form. Rowan and Sarosi had already found some of the troupe members who'd run away and tied them together to a tree; the elves had even used their nature magic to further ensnare them.

It didn't take long for Kirrin and her deputy to locate the remainder of the runaways and return them to the captive fold. By that time, I'd transformed into my human form once more but neither of the elves nor I did anything further. Instead, we watched as Kirrin and Amber began to interrogate them.

At first, the troupe members did not want to answer anything that the Law-Keepers directed their way and only the threat of corporal punishment and even death loosened their tongues. Eventually, it was revealed that the Circus Maximus' personnel frequently kidnapped and imprisoned unsuspecting creatures and shifters as they wandered through the fastnesses of Erialand. They were planning to use any further captured creatures and shifters for future Circus Maximus shows - which would have naturally included Jay. They particularly wanted a dragon to fight in their mock battles, which enraged me even further.

Kirrin and Amber looked at me when the troupe members' story had ended. As the sole Alpha dragon in Esterloch, I outranked everyone. I had also long since been designated the valley's incumbent war leader and so it was often left to me to make final decisions whenever trouble raised its ugly head.

"Take them to the Law-Keepers' Courts and arrest the others still at the Circus Maximus," I said curtly. "We'll decide what to do in the morning."

Kirrin and Amber soon bowed to my decision and offered no argument against it.

****

The next day, that meeting was held between the Elders to determine what was to happen with the troupe members. An hour's worth of discussions ensued, whereupon I was finally satisfied with the decision of being paid a weregeld for the kidnapping of my mate.

"Even though Jay's not my property, he still was taken from me and he means a great deal to me," I told the other Elders. "I do need compensation for that."

My proclamation caused more than a few smiles to be directed towards me; Jay, seated beside me, gave me a proud look and a wink when I glanced his way. He flooded my side of our link with an intense blast of golden dragon love and I returned it just as intensely.

"Are you also in agreement with the judgement of branding?" Corey asked next.

I nodded at the human Elder with a slight scowl on my face. Another judgement had been passed which entailed a branding of the wrongdoers' faces, as punishment for all that they had done.

"I shall be responsible for that," I told the gathered Elders.

Although there was some protest at my proclamation, I would not be moved; in the end, they had to capitulate and agree. The punishment was scheduled for the very next day and would also be done publicly to further shame the wrongdoers.

****

the following day

I heated the brand in the hearth of my forge and pressed each sigil into the foreheads of those who had directly wronged me and Jay. Though I garnered no pleasure from the pursuit, I did have the knowledge that I was paying them back in spades for kidnapping my mate.Once their punishment had been enacted, the troupe members were turned loose, with no medical help from us. That was something they had to find for themselves and was a further part of their punishment.

They were further doomed to be so disfigured so that people knew what they were - malingerers, thieves and kidnappers. They were also forbidden to take prisoners as they had done before, instead relying on willing participants - if they could find them - to keep their shambles of a Circus going.

****

"Well, I hope we never get to see them ever again," Jay proclaimed that night over dinner. I gave my mate a concerned scowl before I said - "I certainly hope not."

"If you scowl at them like you just did at me, then they wouldn't dare darken our doorsteps again," Jay remarked with one of his usual cheerful hoots of laughter.

I gave him an unimpressed look yet Jay saw the apricot wash of my amusement over our link all the same. He reached over the table and tapped the back of my hand with his eating knife.

"Just eat your dinner, dear," he advised. "Don't worry about it anymore."

I merely grunted and scooped another piece of rabbit pie into my mouth. Jay grinned at me proudly and copied my movements exactly.