So it's the way you read and interpret. If I see a character described as dark I assume they're black. I'm currently reading A Time of Dread by John Wynne. He describes a character as darker of skin than his southern neighbours...or similar words. I immediately see him as a black man. You might interpret that differently but nowhere in the book is anyone described as black or white. And why should they be? It's not racist to ignore race. Its quite clear the author sees a wide rainbow of skin colour if you interpret that as binary black and not black I would politely suggest the problem may be with you.

Where I’m from people use it to mean brown or tanned skin. But I’m guessing that’s the difference between native and non-native english speakers. We’re much more literal in translations.