When a witch is young: a historical novel

In the summer of 1676 Plymouth is awash with the aftermath of King Philip’s War. A triumphant regiment rolls through the town, its soldiers glittering with swords and pistols, while a captive boy—pale as fresh snow—trails behind the procession. The crowd, long‑suppressed Puritans now intoxicated by victory, erupts in a chaotic mix of laughter, song, and uneasy revelry as the gruesome trophy of the slain sachem’s head is paraded before them.

Amid the clamor, a young woman watches from the fringe, her thoughts drifting between the spectacle and the lingering shadows of fear that still haunt the colony. She senses that the triumph is fragile, that the war’s wounds run deeper than the blood‑stained streets, and that whispers of old powers begin to stir in the surrounding woods. Her curiosity and courage set her on a path that will test both her heart and the limits of the world she knows.