He was sitting next to the window on the back seat, lost in thought. The short October days meant that it was nearly dark by the time they got back, and the streets around the school were clogged with the cars of parents unwilling to let their kids find their own ways home through the gloomy streets. The ones who did have to walk left quickly, while there was still a faint glimmer of day. The rain had stopped, though, so things weren’t quite as dreary as they might have been. Steve took a back way and met Belladonna a couple of blocks away from the school. Ever since the incident with the Proctors and the standing stones, Miss Parker had insisted that, as Paladin, it was part of his job to make sure the Spellbinder got home safely. He had agreed, but wasn’t prepared to go so far as to let anyone see him doing it. On most days he would jump out of the bushes and try to scare her, but today he just fell into step beside her as they made their way to Lychgate Lane. Belladonna glanced at him through the dark curtains of her lank hair.
