Sixteen
Tristan dropped anchor in the dark, still waters of Del Rey Lagoon. On all sides of the lagoon, tall cottonwoods and ancient spruce trees leaned over the shoreline, as if trying to look at their reflections. Some of them had fallen during the last windstorm, he saw. He drifted as close as he dared to the edge, mindful of the tide, and hurried onto the bow to release the anchor cable.
Glancing up at the overhanging trees, he caught the barest glimpse of starlit sky beyond the canopy. That forest would keep them safe even from an overflight, he hoped.
The downside of this spot was that if anyone found them, they could get trapped here. But he had a plan for that too. He knew this lagoon like his own backyard. Better, because he spent so little time in his backyard.
And maybe, if
