The next morning, Pops took his new apprentice down the road to Baron Keith's Manor, and followed the sound of ringing hammers to the small forge set along the edge of a field, easily accessible to farmers needing to bring equipment for repairs.
"Your mother is a smith, right?" Pops asked, as he realized that he had just gone to the forge because he was looking for a Dwarf.
Mead laughed at his confusion. "Actually, no. She's a Techno Witch, and I think she's staying with the Baron. We were there the first night, and then I went looking for work."
Pops altered their course, headed for the big house, while his young apprentice laughed.
Techno Witches were rare among the Dwarves, an innate specialty that was much more common among humans. It wasn't something that you could be recruited for, you had to be born with the talent, unlike a Techno Wizard, who could be anyone with magical aptitude.
A maid met them at the door, and sighed in relief when she saw that Mead was with Pops.
