Today we begin “The Trail to Scarmen’s Burn”, where Mercy must journey out from New Gelaph’s streets into the wild lands beyond on the trail of her most dangerous quarry yet. In planning this story, I was looking forward to stretching out the drama of the hunt, and to exploring Mercy dealing with a completely different environment. But first, we have to get the hunt started. And to do that, we need to bring on some new characters, notably the neighbor who begins narrating this tale. Extra points for anyone who recognizes the real-world entertainer that Professor “Thompson Richards” is based upon. Feel free to shout out your answers– no need to raise your hand first!