"More than most would ever know," Deirdre agrees; her voice softens, and she starts carving the roast bird - nearly raw, kissed only with enough flame to crisp the skin - to have something to do with her hands. "The future looks grim. Right now there is equilibrium, but imagine for a moment that the barrier falls, and death returns to us. People take a long, long time to grow up. Time she won't have. If she stays, she'll starve."