"Not yet." said Kwitoff. "He is not ready."
One night Serge went to the room of the two brothers. They were not working at their books. Littered about the room were blacksmith's tools and wires, and pieces of metal lying on the floor. There was a crucible and underneath it a blue fire that burned fiercely. Beside it the brothers worked. Serge could see their faces in the light of the flame.
"Shall we tell him now?" said Kwitoff. The other brother nodded.
"Tell him now," he said.
"Little brother," said Kwitoff, and he rose from beside the flame and stood erect, for he was tall, "will you give your life?"
"What for?" asked Serge.
The brothers shook their heads.
"We cannot tell you that," they said. "That would be too much. Will you join us?"
"In what?" asked Serge.
"We must not say," said the brothers. "We can only ask are you willing to help our enterprise with all your power and with your life if need be?"