"You'd be surprised," she says. "Anything that has enough belief put into it can overwhelm pure strength." It sounds cheesy, she knows, but it's what she's come to learn. "Maybe that's even true here."

When he tells her not to worry, she snorts. "Worrying is how I've stayed alive and usually in one piece." The scar around her neck itches at that. She ignores it. "And I'm going to stay out of trouble, too. A first for me, really." She's not going to go out in search of trouble, but if it happens to find her...well.