Moon and Star: Book One Read Online Free PDF Page A

contact with Yuri. She couldn’t believe the nerve of these clan heads. The Kazuya, Kura, Senjuya, and Hatake clans had the longest lineage in Kyotomo's history, each one with a viable claim to the title. But with the Taiho code, the heir needed to be chosen by the current Shogun. There were contingency plans, should there be no heir or the Shogun die before he can name one, but this matter was trickier than looking up the law.
    Jin had named Kaito his heir, but with him gone there was a gap in the law of succession. Any one of the people in this room, including herself, could claim the title of Shogun. Delaying the ascension was not a good idea, but giving the power to any of these people was even worse.
    Yuri cleared her throat. The three men looked at her impatiently. They wanted an answer and Yuri knew they weren't going to like it.
    "We need to strengthen or relations with neighboring cities. I'll remain here to deal with local matters, but I need each of you to try and patch things up with our rivals; see if they can be swayed to our side."
    "Why do you get to stay here?" the Senjuya clan leader asked. "Why can't it be one of us?"
    The other two men nodded in agreement.
    "Because I won't make any rash decisions," she said, looking at the Kazuya clan head. Yuri turned her head so her eyes were locked with Shinobu's. "I won't start a war that can be avoided." She looked at The Senjuya clan leader. "And I don't have my own agenda."
    She paused, letting them soak in what she'd said. "That is why I will be the temporary Shogun. Unless you want to give the title to one of the Yoritomo clan?"
    The men froze. Yuri knew she had them. Historically the Yoritomo clan had the right to the title. The original document that bound Kyotomo and Yoshino as one sub-nation was changed by Jin's father in the mid fourteenth century and legally the Yoritomo clan had no right to claim the throne. That didn't mean they weren't entitled to it. It was the main reason they agreed to give up Kaito. Yuri reckoned the Yoritomo clan heads thought that they could use him as means of gaining the throne. Most of them thought Kaito was dead, killed by his adopted father. This was a lie to shape Kaito in the Minamoto clan image. The one thing Yuri and the other political leaders didn't take into account was Jin's parenting skills. What they needed was a warrior. What they had was a boy with no military training and a motive for killing everyone in the place he called home.
    If he doesn't know now, he'll learn soon enough, Yuri thought. “I don’t want anyone to know about Jin’s death, outside the city walls, understand?”
    All three men shook their heads.
    The rest of the meeting was uneventful. They decided where each of them would go to try and forge new relationships with rival clans. This was mostly to distract them. Yuri didn't have time to deal with the egos of three entitled clan heads. Finding Kaito was the main concern. She dismissed the men.
    When they left, she walked towards the back of the room and glided her hand across the wood, feeling stone. Yuri tapped the lightest part of the wood, near the top, and watched as the entire wall disappeared like it was never there to begin with. In the wall's place was another wall made of steel. It was positioned several paces back from the fake wooden wall and held a sword. Yuri glanced out the tiny window, to see the sun's fading light. Another time, she thought, and walked away. She had a long day ahead of her tomorrow. It was best to get some rest while she could.
    ***
    Yuri stopped in front of the statue of the Enlightened One. People left as she approached, whispering amongst themselves. She couldn’t blame them. She was wearing clothing common in Yoshino, not her usual kimono she wore around the castle.
    Sometimes she needed to unwind, get back to her roots. It was a well kept secret that Yuri was once a citizen of Yoshino. Jin was the one person who knew and despite other’s hostility towards