Fae Exchange: Fae Alliance Duology, #1

By Sage Marrow

Welcome to your new family!

As a participant in the Fae and Human Alliance Exchange Program, you are among a few specially chosen students that have been selected to represent your race within your host home. Please be mindful of the customs and cultures within your new dwelling, be respectful to your host race, and remember—the unity of our people depends on you!

In an effort to invoke fellowship after a treaty that has ended centuries of war, the Fae and humans have agreed to participate in a student exchange program, one that most hope will cultivate friendship and a blending of cultures. Tsunis is far from convinced. But, as a prince of the Fae realm, his parents know he is the ideal candidate for the program, set to be an example of comradery between one race and another.

No one bothered to ask his opinion about it, though. And he's more than a little miffed about having to live with his new human "family".

He's not the only one who has been uprooted from everything he knows. As a human participant, Cadence is thrown into a realm that is as mystifying and captivating as it is dangerous. As a magicless human among magical beings, she knows she's in way over her head when it comes to dealing with these pointy-eared students who like to use her for target practice.

When tragedy strikes, and a powerful threat rises that endangers both human and Fae, can their differences be set aside? Or will their history of prejudices and grievances get the better of them, ensuring that destruction prevails?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sage Marrow
• Release date: Apr 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223345794

Book preview

Chapter One

If she had to float there and listen to Conner bragging about his new Fae family any longer, Cadence was going to scream. He had never seen a Fae, and yet he was talking like he had already met them and had become fast friends with them when the truth was, no one knew what the Fae looked like. At least, not personally. Those humans that had seen Fae face to face were gone generations ago, and over three hundred years of war between them had repainted any imagery of the magic users. When it came to the dominion of the finite resources of the earth, both sides battled bitterly.

Considering that, we were all grateful that a Treaty had been tentatively made just five months ago, putting an end to the constant conflict.

Kicking leisurely in the water, holding to the rim of the swimming pool with her elbows, Cadence glanced toward Kamley, knowing she would understand. It was one of the many things that she loved about her best friend, that mutual connection, almost telepathic. Kam caught her gaze and rolled her green-blue eyes, her black coils and dark skin a splash of chocolate in a pink bikini next to Cade’s nearly blinding white. It was always a little disgruntling that no matter how much sun she got, Cade always stayed as white as a tub of craft glue.

Injustices abounded. None the least of which was the fact that Conner, who always wore new clothes and had never worked a day in his life, had been selected for the Fae and Human Alliance Exchange Program. Which was a complete mouthful, so no one referred to it as such. It was simply called the Fae Exchange. And he had been chosen. She knew she was supposed to be happy for her friend, but really, his boasting was getting to be a little much. There were only so many places she could go in their city of Rottoah without being bombarded by the topic of the exchange; it dominated practically every conversation.

Cade wasn’t about to admit to any of them, even if they were her closest friends, that she had applied for the program as well. She certainly wasn’t going to tell Matt, her boyfriend, either. He had made his stance on the whole Treaty very clear. That was the case with all of his opinions. His abrasive honesty was also why he adamantly refused to hang out with her friends any longer.

The disappointment that she hadn’t been selected stung fiercely. She tried to remind herself it had been a long shot, to begin with, since participants were invited not just from their own country of Anarida but from the Tol’ah Empire and the Provinces of Blinaic, but it still hurt. Her daydreams of all the photos she wanted to take, to show the human communities what the realm of magic users was really like—all crumpled in the allegorical trash.

I don’t get it. Trent broke in, splashing Conner to get him to shut up for a moment. Trent’s wheelchair glinted behind him in the harsh afternoon sun, left near the lawn chairs and piles of sandals and towels out on the green.

Without his glasses, his brown eyes seemed smaller, and his wavy honey-colored hair clung in wet clumps to his head. School just ended. Why are you leaving in three days?

With his hair plastered down, too, Conner’s red curls looked almost tame for one of the few times in his life. The letter said the exchange is for a full year, not just a school season. It makes sense to me to do it that way. The goal is to have the full experience of living with another race.

He scratched uncertainly at his chin. Though, no one has done this program before, and we’re all just crossing our fingers that it’s going to work out.

And you’re crossing your fingers that you don’t get eaten by an ogre? Kam asked nonchalantly, smiling sweetly, her dimples on full display.

Conner threw her a scowl, light brown eyes narrowing. Ogres don’t exist. Everyone knows that.

The Treaty was only signed a few months ago, Trent said, picking worriedly at a hangnail. Are you sure that going to Faeland is… safe?

Sure. It’s got to be, right? Doubt they’d let us do this if it weren’t.

"Ogres might not exist, but I’m sure there are other terrible things out there in a place that’s, you know, full of magic."

Thanks, Kam. I’ll let that thought lull me peacefully to sleep at night.

Cade waved a hand before Kam’s face, breaking off the glaring contest between the two with the long ease of practice. Did the letter say anything about the Fae that’s going to stay with your family?

Yeah. Some dude around our age named Stowne.

Stone? Cade echoed.

Like that, yeah. Stowne. Don’t look at me for answers about Fae names; I don’t have any.

Well, do the guy a favor, Trent said. Air out your room before the poor sap has to take it over. I swear your room registers on greenhouse emissions analyzers.

He broke off laughing as Conner swapped a wave of water at him before they started to wrestle, taking away Cade’s chance of asking what, if anything, Conner knew about Fae magic.

Cade’s phone rang where it was nestled on the lawn amongst her cover dress. She knew exactly who was calling. The thought brought a heavy wave of expectation that sank her lower into the water. Having an overprotective mother who watched the clock whenever she left home was one of the reasons that she had wanted to apply for the program, to begin with. At the time, it was almost like her mother felt the need to make up for the complete lack of attention from her biological father. Well-intentioned, maybe, but the truth was, it was suffocating.

Kam winced in sympathy. Better answer it.

Yeah, yeah. Cade dragged herself from the pool, water splattering across the tiles. She padded barefoot over the grass to rummage for her cell. Answering it, she set it to the speaker and held it up as she tried to pull the wet, long coils of her black hair from her face.

Hello?

Cadence Easton, where are you? Her mother’s voice blared out in a frantic rush, easy to hear despite the screams of delight and splashing from the crowded pool behind her.

You need to come home this instant. This instant, do you hear me?

Uh oh. Mom—

"Why didn’t you tell me you applied? Out of nowhere, I found this letter saying you’ve applied to the Fae Exchange and were rejected because you forged your parental signatures! What is this?"

Ouch. She thought she had tucked that miserably embarrassing rejection of her hopes and dreams away in the darkest corners of her closet, but apparently, her mother had begun early with her yearly summer cleaning. Cade’s heart sank clear down to her heels. She turned away from the little kid eating an ice cream cone in the lawn chair nearest to her, watching her like her whole world going down in flames was the best source of entertainment.

Get home now!

The line clicked dead, and Cade was left staring at her russet eyes reflected back at her on the screen before she shut it off. When she turned, she found the others watching her closely, three heads in a row peeping out from the edge of the tiles.

There were questions written all over their faces, but she wasn’t ready to answer them yet. It took all her concentration not to burst into tears in front of the entire local swimming pool.

I… I’ve got to go. Scrambling for her cover dress, Cade yanked it over her head, fumbling her toes into her sandals. Her sunglasses bounced from her patchwork bag as she slipped the strap over her shoulder, and she had to rush over and pluck it from the ground. Her friends’ gazes drilled into her back, clearly expecting an explanation, but she only waved at them halfheartedly, feeling like a complete idiot.

Sorry. I’ll text you later. Bye! I’m sorry! She ran for her electric scooter, jamming in the key.

Forget texting, Kam shouted after Cade as she zipped off down the sidewalk, the wind blowing at her hair and flapping her dress around her knees.

You’d better call me asap!

Sure, she thought, I’ll get to that if my mom lets me live.

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Fifteen minutes later, Cade rounded the corner of a narrow street. It was squeezed in on both sides with parking meters, garbage bins, and bicycles wedged haphazardly into a metal rack. The cracked sidewalks coughed up chunks of cement into the gutters, spruced up by the dandelion weeds that sprouted from between the slabs. The bubble scent of laundry detergent drifted after her as she passed by the laundromat. She swerved to the left down an even slimmer road that could hardly squeeze in the few cars it hosted. The dreary-looking basketball court to her right swarmed with a few games underway, sneakers scuffing against the dilapidated pavement amid hoots and hollers.

The brownstone row house she aimed for drew nearer, the middle digit missing from the marker on its door, labeling it as 217. On the steep staircase merging with the sidewalk, a black lab lifted his rounded head. Gray patches dotted his frame. His tail swung languidly as he gave a hoarse bark.

Hi, Obi, Cade called out. She leaned her scooter against the stair railing and hustled up the steps to pet the aging dog. He technically belonged to her stepfather, Steven, who was probably the biggest Star Wars fanatic that she knew of. But Obi liked to sleep at the foot of Cade’s bed every night, so she liked to think he belonged partially to her as well. She straightened, trying to keep her head high as she faced the front door. No use in letting mom keep stewing in her anger.

The door creaked on her entrance. Obi’s nails clacked against the linoleum flooring as he pranced past her. Cade toed off her sandals, leaving them beside her bag near the entrance. She practically wore her shoulders as earrings the closer she got to the main room, dreading the conversation ahead.

The room unfolded before her in all its chaotic glory. It boasted a pale-yellow sagging sofa and a blue armchair tufted with sprays of stuffing bursting from rips and tears. Dirty glasses and a half-eaten bagel littered the coffee table. A scattering of dolls and stuffed animals marked a trail toward the room she shared with her half-sister. Before the paint-chipped door, Allison was busily, meticulously, placing stickers along its surface.

Are you supposed to be doing that? Cade questioned, flopping down onto the sofa, which promptly gave up any appearance of support and sank clear down to its seat frame. Obi took that as an invitation to jump onto Cade’s lap. She sank further, trying to breathe through the dog’s fur brushing against her nose.

Nope, the eight-year-old answered. She placed another sticker, carefully pressing the unicorn down beside a glittering rainbow. Mom won’t care. Mom’s mad right now with you.

Allison paused, turning to look over her shoulder, the waterfall of her silky brown hair sliding across the blue t-shirt that matched her eyes. Cade tried not to think, yet again, of her unmanageable spray of black curls in comparison and failed. Allison was the sister who had inherited the greater share of their mother’s appearance.

Why is she mad at you?

Well…

That’s exactly what we are going to discuss here, Alli-bean. Go on into your room, now. Their mother came into view from her own bedroom, crossing her arms tightly as she came to a standstill by the coffee table. One foot tapped against the worn-out rug. She wore an apron, and her glasses were smudged with fingerprints, which Cade knew meant that she had been interrupted during a cleaning session. Interrupting Kayla during a cleaning session never ended well.

Behind her mother, Cade’s stepfather trailed like a toy dragged along a string that Kayla held. Her mother must have been truly upset if she had called him home early from his job as an insurance adjuster. He tried a weak smile in Cade’s direction, deepening the crow’s feet around his light blue eyes. Past him, Allison slammed her bedroom door closed in clear disapproval at being left out of the conversation. Hey, Cade-bug. Your friends doing okay?

Don’t even, her mother warned.

She marched toward Cade, arms swinging at her sides like angry pendulums. "How could you do this? One minute I’m clearing out shoes Allie’s outgrown, and the next, I find a notice from the Alliance Program stating that my daughter—my daughter, who should be preparing for her final year of high school and the college credit classes awaiting her—has instead taken it upon herself to sign up for some far-fetched, bologna of an idea that…that…I don’t even have the words for it! Furthermore, to forge our signatures is so incredibly irresponsible of you! What about your future? What about applying to Harlem University? And law school? You were ready to throw everything away for an untested idea. To live with these people who, need I remind you, are incredibly dangerous. There are reasons humankind hasn’t gotten along with Fae for years and years. Valid reasons. A new Treaty doesn’t erase the past. Just what has possessed you?"

Her mother’s words grew shriller the longer she spoke, and Cade considered plucking some of Obi’s shedding fur out and stuffing her ears with it. It’s not like that, Mom. I spoke with the exchange program counselor at school, and they said that it would have been a great opportunity to—

"To what? Get yourself bespelled? Enchanted into a toad? The minute you step onto Faeland, you will be at the mercy of those—those—things, who may look like us, but certainly are not like us. How am I supposed to be okay with that?"

Cade melted further into the couch, wishing it would just go ahead and swallow her up entirely. Her tongue stayed glued to the floor of her mouth despite all the words that pressed together in her throat, dying to be set free. To explain herself, to have her wants and wishes made known for once. To somehow get her mother to realize that Cade had dreams of her own that didn’t include a pre-law track at the local community college. Kayla may have wanted her to become an attorney, to show up her biological father in his own career path. But Cade had other plans.

The fact that her side of her bedroom was plastered in her own film was as loud as she could be about what she wanted for her future. It wasn’t just a whim or a passing fancy.

You…, Cade’s voice wobbled so badly she hesitated, swallowing hard, you don’t have to be okay with it, Mom. It’s what I want to do. Well, it was before I got rejected. It wasn’t right to forge your signatures, but I knew if I tried talking to you about it, you…wouldn’t….

She faltered. Steven held his head in his hands, further bristling his already spikey hair while her mother turned a shade of raspberry red that couldn’t have been at all healthy.

From the doorway of their shared bedroom, Allison’s head poked out.

You’re going to Faeland? she asked in complete awe.

Their mother shouted out, No!

Steven lowered his hands and said, You could reapply, right?

Cade tried to sit up straighter as her mother whirled, eyebrows flying up to her forehead. What?

Let’s talk this through, dear. Steven interlaced his hands together over his stomach.  Let’s hear her out. She’s nearly eighteen, and we can’t make all of her decisions for her forever.

Kayla glowered fiercely enough that, by rights, her husband’s eyebrows should have singed.

Go on, Cade, Steven urged, what did the counselor say?

She… She said… Cade flicked a glance to her mother, who stood staring at Steven, slack-jawed. Steven gave Cade a nod that encouraged her to plow forward. All the words clogging her throat spilled out.

She said it’s a great opportunity that will look good on my transcript. Improving inter-species relationships is the goal of the program, and there are so many things that I could learn while in school in Faeland that I wouldn’t be able to learn here. Alli-bug, under my mattress, there’s a booklet and a brochure. Can you bring it to me? They’ve got all the information you need to know in the booklet, Mom. It answers FAQs and goes over the responsibilities of the exchange and what to expect.

She swallowed hard as her mother moved like a robot, taking the stack of forms that Allison held out to her with a beaming smile. It also goes over what to expect from the Fae student that would be living here.

Her mother slowly pivoted her head around to stare at her. Excuse me?

Steven’s eyes nearly shone with excitement. You mean we would get to host? We would get to host an actual Fae?

That’s the point, Dad. I would go live with their family, and they come live with mine. They aren’t ‘things,’ mom, they’re people like us. Well, I mean, sort of like us, but they’re still people. The majority of them are peaceful. They’re not the blood-seeking monsters you’ve been taught to believe. Please, can I reapply? Will you sign the forms this time?

I don’t understand, Cade-bug, her mother said, slowly sinking down to sit beside her. Obi’s tail thumped happily against Cade’s arm as he stretched out to rest his head on her mother’s knee.

Why did you do this? Why do you want to go so badly?

Cade hesitated. There wasn’t a polite way to say that she wanted the chance to be out from underneath her mother’s thumb, to be separated from the expectations and domineering personality. To have the chance to do something that she wanted to do simply because it was what she wanted.

Plus, to be among those who could do magic? To have a chance at photographing what few other humans had ever seen? She couldn’t sign the dotted line fast enough.

I want to try something different, she hedged. Listen, just because my bio dad helped to make the Treaty, you don’t have to punish me for it. I’m not Kevin.

Mentioning her biological father caused her mother to grimace; as always, mentioning him was akin to reminding her mother of a bad, chronic toothache. In all the years that the high-powered attorney had been practicing on the far side of their country of Anarida, he had only sent a handful of birthday cards to Cade over the years and had never called once, never requested a visit. All custody had been relinquished at the tender age of five, and as far as Cade was concerned, he had never looked back.

Stretching out over Obi’s ears, Cade took her mother’s hand. This would be a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I’m going to regret it for the rest of my days if I don’t try. Try again that is. I know you’re scared. So am I, but I can’t let that stop me.

She looked to Steven, who gave her such a proud smile that she felt her face warm.

Letting out a soft sigh, her mother squeezed her hand in reply. I’m terrified of letting you go. How can we be sure that you will be safe?

The Fae want this Treaty just as much as we do, Cade assured her. They aren’t going to do anything to break it.

It went without saying that the untouched nature reserves that the Fae had been granted in turn for forgoing any and all magic use against humans was the coveted outcome that the magical beings had needed to ensure their survival. For what little humans knew about Fae magic, it was irrefutable that the Fae relied on having access to unperturbed nature in order to thrive. It was one of many things that Cade desperately wanted to know the answer to, not to mention discovering what a Fae actually looked like.

During the peace convention, there had been absolutely no camera footage of any Fae allowed by order of their king. I know you watched the news covering the peace talks just like I did, even though you pretended not to. You saw how badly the Fae wanted a truce. For all we know, they’re more like us than we currently believe.

Her mother snorted loudly at that but withheld her commentary on the topic. I can see that this means a lot to you, Cade-bug, and I want to support you. But you have to acknowledge that there are risks to doing this.

She smoothed a hand over Cade’s curls. You’ve always had such a big heart, and sometimes…well, sometimes you see the best in others at your own expense. I don’t want you to get hurt.

Cade chipped at the nail polish on her thumb. I doubt that they will allow a second application after denying my first. The thought made her deflate into the couch, and even Obi’s sloppy lick on her arm didn’t cheer her up.

Kayla set a hand on Cade’s knee. Tell you what, let me think on it. Let me go over this booklet, and I’ll call your program counselor myself to get some questions answered. I promise to give it a fair think-over, okay?

Okay, Mom. Maybe, it wouldn’t matter. The thought that she had wasted her shot at the program by forging those signatures, to begin with, instead of taking the chance to ask, was nauseating. Cade’s nails bit into the flesh of her hands as she clenched them tightly. Of course, with how many students were applying, it might have been something else that got her application denied, even if she had gotten parental approval.

Cade slipped Obi gently from her lap and rose to her feet. I’m going for a ride.

If she was going to call her friends and Matt and give them all an accounting of everything, she needed to clear her head first, get her thoughts flitting around like pissed-off bees organized. She held up a hand, stopping her mother before she could speak. Mom. Please. It’s still light out. I’ll be okay.

Fine, Kayla relented, but be back before full dark.

Having a curfew like she was a little kid that needed minding was downright embarrassing. Cade went to change her clothes, wondering, At what point are you going to fully trust me, Mom?

Chapter Two

As far back as she could remember, Cade couldn’t create a distinct recollection of her biological father’s face from her memories alone. Whenever he was mentioned, a hazy picture of a man in a business suit and a scowling face came to mind. Loud voices in the kitchen when her parents thought she was asleep. The resounding thud of flesh against flesh as he struck her mother was what she remembered vividly—the bright red blossoming of a handprint across her mother’s shocked face and the absolute terror in Kayla’s eyes.

When her parents divorced, Kevin had become an obscurity, abandoned in the dust behind the tire wheels that carried her and her mother into a new life.

Until the peace Treaty talks began and her father was plastered all over the news.

All the previous fear that Kayla had carefully locked away exploded then. Burst right through the locked boxes in her heart. That fear was evidenced in the meticulously planned future she envisioned for Cade. It steeped into each day as she worried about what her daughters were doing. In a way, Cade couldn’t blame her mother for being frightened of the majority of the world. Hadn’t it shown her how cruel it could be? But as a whole, Cade refused to view it so bleakly. There was an opportunity past the comfort zones. Wasn’t that a kind of terror worth facing?

The battery on her electric scooter beeped at her in a warning. Cade looked at the marker, noting that she hadn’t paid attention to what she should have. Eight percent left. There wasn’t enough battery to carry her home; she’d be walking the last mile or so.

Pebbles crunched beneath the wheels as she came to a stop on the long dirt road, shutting off the scooter. She left it behind to delve into the wild sunflower fields. The golden-crowned heads bobbed and swayed in the evening breeze, almost waving. There wouldn’t be time to enter the woods beyond, but this field was a good enough place to recenter herself. She tried to focus on the way the dusk painted the clouds ginger and cobalt or the way the sunflower leaves trialed over her outstretched hands. The way a flurry of snow brushed past her arm—

Wait. Snow? At the start of summer?

Cade halted, trailing her gaze across the white flakes that were, undoubtedly, spiraling down the hillside from the woods. Miniature dancing ghosts on the wind. The cold bristled the hairs on her skin, and suddenly, it didn’t seem like the flowers were waving hello, more like waving her away. Telling her to get lost.

Shoes ground against rocks, and Cade spun on her heels, her heart squeezing painfully.

She was momentarily blinded as a flashlight’s beam swept over her.

You all right, miss? asked an unfamiliar voice. Blinking away the dots in her vision, Cade found three officers approaching her, nondescript and smiling. The foremost cop’s sunglasses showed her own startled reflection.

Cade bit her lower lip, surreptitiously glancing behind them. She wondered how she hadn’t spotted them on the road. Hi, officers. I’m fine. Just…taking a walk.

Here? said the second man. This isn’t the best place to be right now after sundown, miss. I suggest you head back home, wherever that is.

Why not? She wanted to smack herself the second the question escaped. Managing to clamp her hands to her hips instead, she smothered the impulse.

The first officer lowered his flashlight further, bathing her feet in a yellow circle.

Why isn’t it safe? Is our word not enough for you?

His smile tightened around the edges, and every nerve in Cade’s body suddenly spiraled to spring into action as he added, Here, we’ll escort you home.

N-No thanks, she said, evading his reaching hand. His skin scratched oddly as it brushed against her upper arm. She couldn’t put the finger on what, exactly, was wrong, but something was definitely off.

Her entire body prickled with adrenaline. I can manage just fine on my own. Really.

Don’t fret, miss. His hand clamped down on her arm, and she had the distinct impression of a lock clicking in place. When she tried to wrench free of his weirdly scratchy touch, his smile only stretched wider. And was that a clicking sound she heard? Where was that coming from? Why were they wearing sunglasses at dusk, anyway, when they were using a flashlight to see?

P-Please let me go. Damn it,