What is it someone once said? Only on horseback can one truly be free. While Katya would not 100 percent agree, it is true some of her most enjoyable time comes from saddling Koschei and riding him cross-country, feeling wind in her hair and leaving cares of Spades far behind.

Not that they ever leave her. Still, it is true, riding horses is often ( Read more... )

Sydney, lamb of the stables, was a very special lamb. For one thing, she was purple and, for people who cared to recognise patterns, adorned with the flag of New South Wales. For another, it had been over a year since she first arrived and she remained a lamb. She could hardly be blamed on residual Arcana effects, either ( Read more... )

Monty has to rub his eyes in disbelief when he looks out his bedroom window to see the blanket of snow. Nope. Still there. Damn. He thought he'd left Montana far behind him both in years and distance. Somewhere, for some fool reason, he still has heated glove and foot liners. Hell, probably has a ball warmer around somewhere or other. He dresses ( Read more... )

[Thundering across the fields, with Drusilla.]

It has been a truly fantastically horrible day. More so than she expected it to be, weeks ago when Rachel spoke to her about resigning. That should have been peaceful, a new beginning for their now former Queen, but that has also not been a possibility since Gustave Asarlai came into Diamond Castle, ( Read more... )

Afternoon finds Monty perched on the arena chute, tugging leather gloves tight on his hands. The refrain of an old George Strait song plays through his head. He'll be looking for eight when they pull that gate and hoping the judges ain't blind ( Read more... )

The thunder of hooves pounding down one of the many riding trails or the sight of someone flying over fences at breakneck speed aren't exactly rarities in the Deck. No sir, not strange at all, less'n it's Drew Montgomery, the Club's erstwhile handyman, layabout and cowboy, seen duded up in English gear and taking his rangy gray through his paces. A ( Read more... )

The sign on the door of the salle said there was to be no training until Monday at the earliest. The note on Tally's apartment door said she was out. The servants have been given three conflicting stories about where she'll be, including the tale that she's skipped to the Outside for a week in Paris ( Read more... )

Monty had a chat with His Maj the day Elisha had won his challenge against Alexander and became de facto King of Clubs. Elisha only had to ask once. Monty knows a hint when he hears it. So find him at the arena with Luis Esteban clowning for him and three bulls. So far he favors Sidewinder, a hug Charolais/Brahma cross weighing in at 1500 pounds. ( Read more... )

"I will never understand my parents."

You see, the Hawkins family are all...unique examples of Diamondhood. Tally's mother is always the first to show off a new Outside trend or fashion on-Deck, and her father is a proud anachronist. Today, this combination resulted in the ever-single Tally being given a pet.

After all, teacup pigs are the latest ( Read more... )

One of the few things that hasn't changed since 2012 began is where Zoe's horse is stabled - because she wasn't highly ranked enough at the Hearts for Sirona to be kept at the Castle Stables, and she's definitely not a high enough Spade for Sirona to move to the Spade Stables. Which, she thinks, is just as well. Sirona's comfortable where she is, ( Read more... )