Excerpt: Lias' Influence

But I will warn you,” Seith said, stopping just short of the women’s quarters, “you are walking a much more delicate line here than you would be at home. While Collegium peers have stopped many wars from happening between themselves, it has also caused increased blackmail and dishonor to families.” He looked in at a hallway that was shorter than the one that led to the men’s quarters. “I’ve never been in there,” he said with a blush, “I’ve never had a reason to. It’s a rather private space, from what I understand. Very rarely are women in their quarters when there are so many study spaces available, and with all things considering.”
All things considering meaning, as far as Lias could tell, that there was no way they could meet a future husband if they kept themselves cooped up in the private quarters all day. She laughed dryly at the concept of a hundred women, forcing themselves all to fit into a single seating area, just to catch the eye of one man. She realized then that this is what happened her first night here, with Jana and Evanda. The way they acted, and drank, indicated that they were the type of women that gave Lias a bad name. It would make her have to work even harder than most men, just to prove herself capable of the feat. They walked back to the other end of the building, where a side staircase was. Their foots echoed through the spiraling tower. “I’d rather they be out of my way flirting, instead of chatting in my ear.” Lias said resolutely, “there are worse things that could happen.”
The ancestors must have been listening. They must have thought that she had not accomplished enough that day, or that she had some free time and energy to kill. She turned the corner, and the first thing she saw was a knife, inches from her face. Her first reflex was to duck, and hope that it missed her fragile head. Seith struggled to get in front of her, grabbed her attacker’s wrist and broke it. The man screamed. Seith punched him in the nose, then hit him in the backside of the head. The attacker, now disarmed, didn’t even put up a fight. He slouched to the ground in Seith’s arms. Lias was horrified.
“Lias-za, you’re not keeping anything from me, are you?”