we almost didn’t notice the birds perched in the trees a little while later. There were five of them, with feathers black as night, sitting in a row on a branch. In place of talons, they had long-fingered hands that curled around their perch. Jayne steered us to the left, so as not to pass directly beneath them, but otherwise didn’t seem overly concerned. “It’s the ones with regular talons you need to watch out for,” she said, once we were well past. “Why’s that?” I asked. Jayne looked very pointedly down at my hands. “Because they’re still searching.”
