The World Dragon's Heir

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.

"Forge Master, thank you for bringing her back. The staff was terrified that she had gotten injured exploring the area." The maid greeted them.

"Actually, I have taken this one in as my apprentice, and I am here to see her mother." Pops explained.

"Oh! That is excellent news, I am sure that she will be thrilled."

The words were all positive, but the look in the maid's eyes said that there was something off about this whole situation.

The maid led them into the basement, where a large workshop had been set up, and a middle-aged Dwarven woman was trying to fit together pieces to a storage cube that had been damaged beyond easy repair.

"Oh, I have company. Did you bring whiskey? Just a bit more and I'll have this ready." she declared.

Pops poured her tankard full, and the woman turned to face him, eyes partially glazed with drink and the odd magic of techno witches.

"Another Dwarf? Well met, Sir. How might I help you."

Pops immediately realized why the maids had reacted as they did. They had been panicked since last night, unable to find Mead. But her mother hadn't noticed she had left.

"I hired Mead as my apprentice, and I would like you to sign off on the work contract as her guardian." Pops explained.

"Of course. Good girl, not being a burden. Is she here somewhere? I don't recall a forge on the property."

Mead sighed and rolled her eyes. "I am right behind you, mother."

"Good, good. Bring me some whiskey. I need to get this finished."

"Your mug is already full, mother. Forge Master Pops filled it for you." Mead replied slowly.

"Right, right. It's been a long night. What did you need again? Work contract, that was it. Of course, I will sign off. It's high time that you found a proper trade. I just wish I had moved here earlier, and we wouldn't have had to put up with that old man as long."

Pops gave Mead a questioning look, and the girl mouthed the word 'previous boss'.

Then he placed the work contract and a pen on the worktable, which brought Mead's mother to a slow stop.

The magic faded from her eyes, and she seemed to return to the present, which took a few seconds as she reviewed everything that was going on around her.

"Right, work contract." She muttered, then hugged Mead.

"Good work, daughter. I knew that you would find your own way forward. Now, let's look this over and make sure that he's not trying to scam you."

Pops smiled indulgently as the Techno Witch transitioned from scatterbrained magician back into doting mother. It was a jarring contrast, but Mead was clearly used to it already.

Every Techno Witch that Pops had ever met was the same way, though some didn't appear to have any redeeming qualities when they weren't muddled by the magic.

Line by line, the woman went over the contract, then paused when she got to the qualifications section for Pops.

"You were the master of the Cygnia Royal Forge and gave it up to come here and work under a junior Princess and her husband?" She asked.

Pops nodded. "A junior Princess, and her husband, Duke Dominic Wavemates, direct kin to the former Earl Wavemates."

That made the woman smile. "Well now, isn't that interesting? I didn't think that there were any of those ones left. Have you met him?"

Pops nodded. "He was my Apprentice before Mead. He's become a Journeyman and a Duke now, so it was time to take another apprentice. The forge is busy, and we're making magitech tools for the factory on top of all our other work."

"Oh, that is good. Hear that Mead, you have a chance to learn more than the skills of a common farrier or town smithy."

Mead giggled. "Our first projects were cutting gears for a steam hammer, and making good iron pans."

She held up the cast iron pan with its inner surfaces hammered smooth and seasoned with bacon grease.

"Now that's proper apprentice work. I wholeheartedly approve. There is nothing wrong with this work contract, and it says he will find you somewhere to live. Did I give you everything that you needed before we got here?"

Mead nodded. "You did, mother. The Master Smith has a house behind the forge, and I will be staying there most of the time. There is also an apprentice room inside the forge, and one reserved in the Duke's Manor for days when we're visiting overnight."

Her mother took a long swill from the tankard, and smiled. "So, the former Apprentice still has proper consideration for his master? That's a good sign. Unfilial Apprentices are bad luck."

Pops snorted in amusement. "Tell me about it. I took in a human apprentice a decade ago, and the moment he got himself a more prestigious position, he was gone without a word. Then he never stopped being a pain in my backside."

George was a disappointment through and through.