The Raven King
an excerpt

The self-assured young woman with the light brown hair seemed to dance down the sidewalk. It wasn't a particularly sunny morning, but the patchy clouds were starting to make slow progress towards another part of the world, and the sun was beginning to shine with greater earnest. The young woman went mostly unnoticed by business associates, running past with newspapers still held over their heads, while her attention was fixed on a jewelry store at the nearest corner.
She paused in front of the large window, and considered the display for a long minute. Her eyes roamed over the brilliantly-shining diamond necklaces, 24-karat necklaces and rings with stones the size of her thumb. She hesitated, started towards the door, then turned and continued down the street. She cast a last reluctant glance at the store before crossing the street.
The sign on the door of Murphy's Antiques read “closed”, but she took a key out of her purse and unlocked the door. She waved away dust as she entered. “I'm here, Dwayne, “she called, hoping her employer was in the back room.
A moment later, a large heavyset man with half as much hair on his head as on his arms and chin came out, carrying a somewhat small cardboard box. “Hi, “he grunted, dropping it on the counter. “Look at this. I paid $50 for this, and I'll be durned if I'll get half of what I paid. “He continued to grumble under his breath as he dug through it. “Junk, junk, junk, all of it. I wouldn't pay --- hello there, what's this? “
He pulled out a handful of ugly necklaces, and dug out from between their tangled cords a small golden ring. With his free hand, Dwayne held it, examining it in the sunlight that filtered through the unwashed front windows. “Hmmm, “he murmured thoughtfully, stroking his beard. “I might be able to get fifty bucks for this – if it weren't for all those strange carvings on the rest of it. “With a noisy sigh of disgust, he dropped it back in the box.
The young woman, however, hurried over and dug it back out, while Dwayne began grumbling about how business had been lately. She was lost in thought for several minutes. Faintly but deeply etched into the band were what at first she thought was letters, but turned out to be tiny pictures. No matter how hard she squinted, she couldn't make them out. Reluctantly, she came out of her reverie. Dwayne was sweeping the shop, still grumbling about the box. “Dwayne, “she said aloud, “how much do you think you could get for everything else in this box? “
He hardly glanced in her direction. “Twenty, maybe. “
“I'll pay you thirty for this ring. “
That caught his attention. “Thirty-five, “he said, eying her shrewdly.
She didn't even blink. “Done. “
Dwayne hefted himself back to the counter, the floorboards creaking under his weight. “I never would have picked you out for the kind of girl to be enamored with jewelry, “he remarked. “More of a --- a practical person, I thought. “
A faint smile crossed the young woman's lips as she began counting out the money. “Dwayne, I'm not practical in the least. “She pushed the cash towards him, and slipped on the ring. “I'm going for coffee; want some? “
Dwayne squinted at his watch. “We'll be opening in five minutes. You had better hurry with that coffee. “
“I will. “The young woman was outside in a moment, and with a light dance in her step, headed for the coffee shop. Her route took her past the jewelry shop, but she was too busy studying her ring to notice. “A raven, “she said aloud, without realizing it. She ran her finger over the carving. “It's a raven. “
She stepped out into the street, and gasped as her foot slipped. Instead of hitting hard asphalt, she fell into a fast-moving but shallow stream; the water barely covered her hands.
Stunned, she stayed there a moment, staring dumbfounded at the water. Shakily she rose, the front of her clothes soaked. All around her was a forest. Buildings, streetlights, fire hydrants, shops and business associates were nowhere in sight. She waded across the stream, and noticed a well-worn road leading away to her left.
She turned around, and studied the river for a long moment. Unconsciously, the fingers of her right hand continued to rub the carvings on her new ring. After a final consideration, she took a deep breath, and began walking down the road.