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that turned into a heavy hacking fit. The wheezing went on for several seconds, and it sounded like his father had an aviant lodged in his windpipe. Adanus finished with a gentle pound on his chest and smiled at his son.
    “Sorry. Anyways, you should have ambition. I had ambition too, although, at times, it went too far.”
    Like with mom? Typhos sat in silence, eager to have his father continue.
    “I tarnished my competitors to make it easier for me to get elected. I spread rumors of deceit of my greatest foe, and he dropped out shortly after. I can’t say I’m proud of that.”
    Dad does have a dark side. And it kind of paid off for him. Interesting.
    Typhos tried to maintain a calm expression, but internally couldn’t help but think that his father had never confessed this to anyone. Not even to his mother, who might have spilled the secret to others.
    “But ambition ultimately landed me at the head of the council and made me chief. Besides, the council does a good job of checking your ambition to make sure you don’t go too far.”
    Not my kind of ambition.
    “But what if the council doesn’t go far enough?” Typhos said with strong emotion. “I feel like right now, watching what it is now, it moves too slowly and works too much. I hardly ever see you or Mom.”
    “That’s not something we’re proud of either, son. But if we don’t follow the process… the last thing we need is for someone to run amok as a dictator in this land.”
    His eyes seemed to burrow especially deep into Typhos— because he recognizes my pain? Or a warning? That may have been true in the past. But someone like me, who is just…
    Why is he so intense now?
    And why did this conversation never happen until now?
    “Is there anything, in particular, you’re thinking of that we move slowly on?”
    Typhos looked down at the ground, feeling pushed back by his father. I’d have more specifics with more time to think. He didn’t know if he should continue his line of argument—until he remembered that he would someday become chief anyways, and what Pagus had mentioned moments ago about his power.
    “I know there are all these other worlds out there, worlds that we can colonize and take over, and we only use those worlds for visiting, not for living,” Typhos said, his words reserved but with a hidden desire beneath them.
    His father, to Typhos’ surprise, did not react negatively. He wants to go. Mom wants to stay. Maybe he’s hoping I can find a middle ground.
    “Don’t you ever want to go anywhere, Dad? I know what you favor. Just because Mom—”
    “Mom knows the history of the Kastori and what dangers emerge when we go to different worlds with different civilizations. It’s not all exploration and diplomacy. Remember, Typhos, there’s a reason most people don’t even know of other worlds. We need to keep quiet, lest they become restless and lead to a disruption of the peace we’ve had for centuries.”
    Typhos sighed. Finally get a chance to talk with my Dad, and it turns into a stupid lecture I’ve heard a hundred times.
    “That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go,” his father said with a warm smile, perhaps sensing the turning feelings of his son. “You’re in a privileged spot. You should take it while you can.”
    I will. I most certainly will.
    “And if you become chief—”
    “If?” Typhos responded instinctively, a word that he regretted right as he said it. Well, might as well keep going . “What do you mean if? There’s no one with my power, and you and Mom have had that title, so—”
    “Son,” Adanus said, his voice cautionary and direct. “Never assume anything. Yes, there is no one your age with your power, and that alone guarantees you will play a major role in the Kastori’s future. But do you know how many times it took me to become chief?”
    Typhos assumed just once. He shrugged and said as much.
    “If only,” Adanus said. “No, it took three times. If not for the relatively short