I’ve been having trouble deciding what to post for snippets this month. I don’t want to do ones from my NaNoWriMo project because I’m already snipping from it for Rainbow Snippets. So, I started poking around my files looking at WiPs and starts and whatnots and decided to post a start from a different project each week. Most of these won’t have much more (if any) other than what is posted, but it’s kind of fun to drag stuff out and dust off the cobwebs and take a fresh look at it.
This week’s excerpt actually has a title associated with it: The Jewel of Elin. (This is very rough and that last sentence is a grammatical nightmare.)
“Well?” Semer’s eyes glittered with avarice. “Give it to me.”
“I don’t have it.”
Avarice was replaced by fury. “Failure is not an option.”
His guards started forward, drawing their weapons.
“I haven’t failed. I just haven’t succeeded yet.” I ignored his guards and turned my attention to Livaren, my chief rival. “It was not where I was told it would be. Maybe if I’d had better information about the gem’s whereabouts you would have your precious bauble.”
“I…” Livaren sputtered, not knowing what to say.
“Poor information is no excuse. You were not to return without the Elin Stone.”
I turned my gaze back to Semer. “The word on the streets is that it is no longer in the Tarums’ mansion. Apparently someone else got it first. Someone who knew where it was. Someone,” I paused, looking back at Livaren, “who perhaps wants it for himself.”
I reached into Livaren’s coat pocket and drew forth the gem I’d been sent to steal: the Jewel of Elin, the largest green diamond ever found, said to be possessed of great power, and great evil.
“I… I didn’t… I don’t know how that got there!” Livaren was sweating, pleading for his life as Semer’s guards advanced on him.
I smiled and turned away as my rival’s blood spilled onto the floor.
He didn’t know how the gem got into his pocket, but I did.
After all, I didn’t say “I didn’t get it” I said, “I didn’t have it.”
Novel Notes 
This character is sneaking as well as homicidal.
A fun reversal!
Very VERY cool excerpt! A whole story, really, just in the amount you gave us – thank you!