entire vicinity crackled and hissed with heat.
Neither of them seemed to take any notice of the fact.

Mars was a trained boxer and wrestler, Forrester knew. But it was
probably a good many centuries since he'd had any real workouts, and
Forrester was counting heavily on slowed-down reflexes. Those would give
him a slight edge.

At any rate, he hoped so.

The circling ceased as Mars leaped forward suddenly and lashed out with
a right to the jaw that could end the fight. But Forrester moved his
head aside just in time and the fist glanced off his cheek. He staggered
back just as Mars followed with a left jab to the belly.

Forrester clamped down on the War God's wrist and twisted violently,
pulling Mars on past him. The War God, caught off balance, lunged
forward, tripping over his own feet, and almost fell as he went by.
Forrester, grinning savagely, brought his right hand down on the back of
Mars' neck with a blow whose force would have killed an elephant
outright.

Mars, however, was no mere elephant. He grunted and went down on his
hands and knees, shaking his head groggily. But he wasn't out. Not
quite.

Forrester doubled up his fist as Mars tried to rise, and came down again
with all the force he could muster, squarely on his opponent's neck.

There was a satisfyingly loud crack, audible, even in the roar of the
burning forest. Mars collapsed to the ground, smothering small fires
beneath his bulk. Forrester leaped on top of him and grabbed his head,
beard with one hand and hair with the other. He twisted and the War God
screamed in agony. Forrester relaxed the pressure.

"All right, now," he said through clenched teeth. "Your neck's broken,
and all I've got to do is twist enough to sever your spinal column.
You'll be crippled for as long as Vulcan has--maybe longer."

Mars shrieked again. "I yield! I yield!"

Forrester held on. "Not just yet you don't," he said grimly. "I want
some information, and I'm going to get it out of you if I have to wring
them out vertebra by vertebra."

Mars tried to buck. Forrester twisted again and the War God subsided,
breathing hard. At last he muttered: "What do you want to know?"

"Why did you and the other Gods leave Earth for three thousand years?
And where did you come from in the first place? I want the _real_
reason, chum." He applied a little pressure, just as a reminder.

"I'll tell you!" Mars screamed. "I'll tell you!"

And as the roaring flames crackled in