They were bashful about admitting it, but it wasn't hard to tell that these were the "elite". There was no way any ruler would have a personal guard t...at was other than the best.On the third day, their skill was put to the test. So was ours, but it was an unexpected advantage we possessed that made certain defeat turn into victory. We could see where the road passed through a wooded area ahead, when Smokey sent "They wait for you in the trees, wizard. What do you wish us to do?"A little. Well, after the first couple screw-ups, at least. You see, he'd explained to me how it was supposed to be operated and the effect it would have on people, but I guess I didn't really consider closely enough the best way to use it. What the machine does, as I said, is put a person into an extremely deep trance. I might describe it as similar in some ways to a hypnotic trance, but it's far far beyond that. Whatever the person hears, their brain simply accepts. There is no resistance, it doesn't. .. I need to drive into town, pick up some new wire for the fences need mending." Want me to do that for you?" I asked, once again reminded of her back."No. Thanks anyway. I'll need you to bring back some fresh bales of hay from the barn while I'm gone, then after I get back, we'll get that section of fence mended so we can move the horses into the new pasture. With luck, we'll be able to finish all that long before suppertime. So ... eat up, clear your own dishes, and wash them," she told me. No one in the world would ever know that she conjured such images. She still liked boys, but girls were sometimes more fun to think about. Outwardly, Summer was all about boys. She had dated several different boys, most of them on the school’s various sports teams, and had even had sex with a few of them. Sex had been a hollow experience for her, though. The few guys she had been with had been selfish, and had finished too early for her to get anywhere close to where she wanted to be. Clarissa.