“Head in that direction till you come to the bridge over the reservoir then head back to the vehicles.”“That’s gotta be like 9 miles round tri....”“Actually, it’s just over 10, but we’ll call it 10.”“You’re not dressed for it?”“You’re out of your mind, it’s too fucking hot! Been there, done that. I’ll be waiting at the bridge, in my air-conditioned truck. If I think you’re taking too long, I’ll come check on you. So, get moving.”I was going to die. Cinching the straps a little tighter, I started. I listened to the message once more to make sure I’d heard her correctly and then erased it so my mom wouldn’t hear it. That’s the last thing I need is to have to answer questions from my mom right now, I thought. I practically ran downstairs, beer in hand, to get dressed and clean up my room a bit. I finished my 3rd beer in an attempt to calm the nerves that were overtaking my body and mind at this point. I realized I only had about 5 minutes before she got here and decided to skip putting on. Outside Max’s big studio, the dimmed lights preserved the identity of the guests. Sophie wasn’t counting.but she suspected there were more than twenty.All assembled, all elegant to start with, they were guided to waiting limousines. Sophie sat quietly absorbing the overpowering perfume of the other two ladies and listening to their excited chatter about what they intended. Obviously, it was not their first party.They were driven to the deepest part of the forest, a beautiful clearing, carpeted. Turin came over to him to ask if he had slept all right. When he complained that he had been allowed to sleep so late, Turin said he must have set off well before dawn the previous day. He asked about the horse droppings and was told there was a deep fissure about two hundred yards away, similar to the one the men used for a latrine.It was just before midday they got the warning from the cliff. All that was written on the rock was L+. Immediately the fires were put out, and the horses moved.