Oath of the Renunciates

On the chilly world of Darkover, where women are kept in subservience to their men, only the Renunciates of the Comhi-Latzii--known popularly as the Free Amazons--escape subjection. Sworn to loyalty only to their sisterhood and rejecting the domination of men, they declare their independence by their manlike attire and close-cropped hair, and maintain it with the fighting talents by which many of them earn their livelihood as mercenaries. Of all Darkovan women, only Amazons can travel and act entirely as they please.It is therefore logical for Terran agent Magdalen Lorne to choose to disguise herself as an Amazon when she undertakes a dangerous mission to rescue her fellow agent--and former husband--Peter from the hands of the vicious Sain Scarp bandits. Though Terrans are officially restricted to their small outpost by the mistrustful Comyn rulers, Darkovan-born Madga has often ventured into Darkovan society to gather intelligence and anthropological data. She speaks like a native and often feels more Darkovan than Terran.As she braves the bandit-haunted and winter-torn mountain passes on the way to the Sain Scarp stronghold, Magda is also heading for an unexpected encounter with a band of Amazons led by the beautiful Jaelle. Once one of the high-born Comyn, Jaelle is now a determined Renunciate. And when Jaelle and Magda find themselves joined together by danger and adventure, the two women forge a bond of love and understanding that calls into question all their loyalties...and may also mold new and closer links between their different worlds.A 2-in-1 volume including The Shattered Chain and Thendara House.