Academy of Extraordinary Creatures: Vesely Academy, #0.5

By Silvana G. Sánchez

Your quick Magic Academy fix!

 

Kurt's habit of skulking at the Bellevue Café finally pays off when he meets Emma Summers, an exchange student at Vesely Academy.

 

The promise of true love beats in Kurt's heart when he meets Emma, but appearances can be deceiving.

One of them is not what they seem.

One of them has kept a secret for three hundred years.

 

True love, ancient magic, and unspeakable evil clash in a world where the thread that binds the extraordinary has been broken, and a fated romance may be lost at the break of dawn.

 

Reminiscent of the Victorian Penny Dreadfuls, these stories are fast-paced and deliver a paranormal kick that will leave you thirsty for more!

 

Sit back, relax, and get ready to leap into a magical journey in the first installment of this Academy Mini-Series by USA TODAY Bestselling Author, Silvana G. Sánchez.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Second Star Press
• Release date: Oct 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201146436

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

THE STONE BRIDGE

Bellevue Café,

Charles Bridge. Prague.

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It used to be called the Stone Bridge long ago.

No one remembered the old name.

Year after year, tourists crammed the majestic platform. Imposing statues safeguarded the city's crossing, standing on the grand balustrade with impassive stone-carved eyes — saints and warriors each one of them. Being in their heraldic presence aroused a powerful surge of emotions in every man and every woman who faced them for the first time.

Kurt had a keen eye for detail. It was his attention to human behavior that had compelled him to the Bellevue Café each Friday night for the past six months.

Vaše káva. Your coffee. The waiter banged cup and dish against the table, with no aims at discourtesy. Drahoslav — the waiter — distinguished himself as a man with a rather blunt personality.

This had become their ritual. Drahoslav tossed the coffee before him and he, in exchange, refused to drink a single drop of it. Their special relationship had been established early on, when Kurt had first settled in Prague.

But tonight, an obvious difference emerged from his cup.

It was empty. Well, almost.

Kurt held it by the porcelain handle and turned it upside down. A carefully folded piece of paper fell onto the small saucer.

Curiosity bound him. He picked up the paper and opened it to reveal a simple note in elaborate handwriting.

Join me

Drahoslav remained beside his table. He gave a quick pat on Kurt's arm with the back of his hand.

Who sent it? Kurt looked at the restless waiter, knitting his brow.

Who do you think? Drahoslav huffed. "Goldie locks over there. She sent it."

Kurt’s glance went to the Bellevue Café’s terrace, where bright blue eyes and a charming smile greeted his stare.

CHAPTER 2

THE ANGEL

Amandatory stop on her way home after school, the Bellevue Café was usually packed with tourists and locals on the hunt for a spot on the terrace because of its enchanting view of the Vltava river.

Emma relished her walk across the Charles Bridge. By that time, its gothic gas lamps glowed an ethereal luminescence, which she found so alluring. To pass by the bridge under its vigilant guardians' eternal stare surely was the closest thing to magic anyone could ever experience; she had searched for it for years, but magic somehow had seemed to elude her.

Sheer luck had delivered her to this part of Europe, a free scholarship to the most prestigious academy for Extraordinary Creatures had appeared in her mailbox one day. There had been no mention of the reasons that had made her eligible to such a wonderful opportunity, and she’d had no mind to second guess her fortune. Emma had emailed back immediately, accepting the offer. She was on a flight to Prague the very next weekend. Auntie Lisa had said it was a blessing, and blessings should never be discarded.

She was a freshman at Vesely Academy, a straight-A student in most classes, but a complete failure at the actual casting of spells. It’s not in your blood, people would say. You don’t have what it takes, you should pack up and leave.

Although it was painful to hear those harsh remarks from her classmates, Emma tried her best to push them aside and in those times she reminded herself of the reason that kept her here. She wanted to learn magic, to become so intricately familiar with it that it may open her life to a world of discoveries. Sometimes while she practiced, she could feel the energy inside her sizzle in her veins, travel through her limbs… but ultimately all spells failed. There