The Dark Between Our Fires

She escaped from a temple and her grandmother's knife, but the goddess has not forgotten her.

On a lonely island in the western Mediterranean, in the dark days before the great empires of Greece and Rome, the first settlers struggle to survive.

Kaly is headwoman of the fragile colony, trapped between the sea and the endless pine forests whose smoky clearings hide a lawless clan of woodsmen, plotting her downfall. When a storm-battered tradeboat runs aground, spilling a crew of rough sailors, the uneasy peace explodes.

Aris, a red-haired lad from the wrecked boat, falls in love with Ayya, the island’s wild-born girl, and together they elope north. So Kaly loses her closest friend and fiercest ally while the settlers throw themselves into the frenzy of their Midsummer celebrations.

The bonfires are lit and the fire-leaping begins, and Kaly must face her enemies alone among the ancient rites.

©2025 Ben Dunwell (P)2025 Ben Dunwell