Consider this line:
$nodes = Node::orderBy("id", "desc")->take(5)->get()
After the execution of the above line, was the Database queried (results were returned)?
Yes, it was queried, and you should have the results in $nodes.
The ->get() on the end is what prompts the execution of the query. Up until that is called, you can continue adding conditions to your query. The Advanced Wheres section of the Laravel docs has some good examples
Note - If you want to have a look at what's going on, you can always use DB::getQueryLog()
$queries = DB::getQueryLog();
Something (very quick and dirty) like this works in a View:
@foreach(DB::getQueryLog() as $query)
<pre> {{ print_r($query) }}</pre>
@endforeach