Read the excerpt from The Land. Ray Sutcliffe looked me up and down, and I knew he hadn't liked what he'd heard from me. But he gave me the leeway. "You just make sure you win. We've got less than two hours before that start." This dialogue advances the plot of the story by telling the reader that Paul can take his time in preparing for the race. has very little time to prepare for the race. is confident that he will win the race. will not be ready when the race begins.