The 36 Watchers: Book II Spring

By Dan Bar Hava

Embark on a riveting journey into the clandestine world of The 36 Watchers: Book II Spring. Within the realm of this gripping series, the true secret society that stands as humanity’s shield against the ultimate evil is unveiled—the 36 Watchers. Unlike the superficial facades of other organizations such as Freemasons, Illuminati, Templars, and Rosicrucians, the Watchers hold the key to mankind’s protection.

In the first installment, we are introduced to the courageous heroine, Jenna, as she undertakes her transformation into a Watcher. Alongside Jenna, we uncover a hidden history, unraveling the mysteries surrounding the crucifixion, the enigmatic link between canned goods and World War II, and the veiled forces that propelled the tragic events of 9/11. This knowledge bestows upon Jenna immense power and wisdom, but not without an agonizing cost of isolation, melancholy, and anguish. Nevertheless, she perseveres, emerging as a fully-fledged Watcher, ready to undertake her inaugural assignment.

In Book II, Jenna’s growth as a Watcher accelerates, and the true purpose of organized religion is laid bare. Secrets shrouding Swiss banks’ shady dealings, the authentic origins of Kabbalah, and the untold tale of who truly declared the land of Israel holy are unveiled as Jenna embarks on her mission. Armed with their extraordinary abilities, Jenna and the Watchers stand poised to alter the course of history itself.

The 36 Watchers: Book II Spring immerses readers in a captivating world where hidden truths and ancient forces collide. Prepare yourself for a tumultuous journey that will challenge everything you thought you knew about history, religion, and the forces that shape our world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Nov 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9781685624064

Dan Bar Hava

Born and raised in Jerusalem, Dan Bar Hava came to the US after serving in the military and completing his undergraduate studies. From a very young age, creative pursuits were an essential part of his life, with jazz, piano and composition taking center stage during his teens and early adulthood. More recently, he has discovered a passion for writing screenplays and novels. Dan co-wrote Falling Star, aka Goyband, a romantic comedy featuring Adam Pascal and Natasha Lyonne; and Brooklyn, All American, a coming-of-age sports tale. His debut novel, The 36 Watchers, Book 1: Fall, was published in 2019. The 36 Watchers Book 1: Fall Book 2: Spring Book 3: Winter (forthcoming)

Book preview

About the Author

Born and raised in Jerusalem, Dan Bar Hava came to the US after serving in the military and completing his undergraduate studies. From a very young age, creative pursuits were an essential part of his life, with jazz, piano and composition taking center stage during his teens and early adulthood. More recently, he has discovered a passion for writing screenplays and novels. Dan co-wrote Falling Star, aka Goyband, a romantic comedy featuring Adam Pascal and Natasha Lyonne; and Brooklyn, All American, a coming-of-age sports tale.

His debut novel, The 36 Watchers, Book 1: Fall, was published in 2019.

The 36 Watchers

Book 1: Fall

Book 2: Spring

Book 3: Winter (forthcoming)

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the memory of my father and to the untimely departure of his loving wife, from whose tragedy triumph was born.

To the lovely Winter, my sunshine, and to my loving and supportive family.

Copyright Information ©

Dan Bar Hava 2023

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Bar Hava, Dan

The 36 Watchers: Book II Spring

ISBN 9781685624057 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781685624064 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023913422

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

[e-mail]

[phone]

Acknowledgment

To Alex

A friend and companion to The 36 Watchers from inception and thereafter. And an editor extraordinaire.

Interlude

A tug startled Henry out of his stupor. He opened his eyes to be greeted by Rocky, one of his dogs, pulling insistently at his untucked shirt.

Out the window, the pine trees’ shadows crept across the lawn beneath the day’s last light. This was Henry’s favorite time to think back on the day and prepare for the evening’s activities, whatever they might be. Stretching his legs across the soft carpet, a yawn curled into a smile as he thought back to similar situations, similar days, similar afternoons.

The pages of the narrative he had read prior to sinking on his couch were strewn all over the floor. They had fallen from his grasp much like the fleeting dream impressions now slipping his awareness. No matter: his unconscious would sort, catalogue and file anything relevant, and he trusted it to bring it to the fore at the appropriate time.

At his old job, particularly after reading mountains of seemingly unrelated data, he had learned to will himself into a semi-meditative, semi-sleeping state, a trick he had picked up from a colleague at the Japanese war ministry. His years in science prior to the agency had left him deeply skeptical of mysticism, yoga, meditation and other such forms of non-western practices. However, he recognized a good thing when he saw one, and his friend Yoshi’s technique definitely qualified as a good thing. And upon ‘waking’, patterns would form, connections would emerge, and Henry would once again save the day.

He noted that this time was a bit different. This time he needed to recede deeper into this ‘less-than-conscious-more-than-sleep’ state to process what he had read. Or maybe it was a sympathetic nod to some of Jenna’s experiences he had read about.

In many ways, she reminded him of the daughter he pictured having. He loved his boys fiercely, but every once in a while, he would ponder what it would be like to have a daughter. He couldn’t help feeling slightly envious of Jenna’s relationship with her beloved uncle.

At times he had found himself snickering at the pages; other times he had nodded with appreciation. In any case, he had to continue reading.

That is, after taking Rocky and Apollo on their afternoon stroll and appeasing his rumbling stomach. He realized he had eaten nothing since the package’s delivery that morning. He made both chores into one pleasant endeavor, leading his dogs through the waning sunlight while downing his favorite snack, a pastrami-on-rye sandwich with fancy mustard and iceberg lettuce. Consumed as he was by what he had read, it barely registered, as he anticipated what awaited him next. The story could easily go one of a dozen different ways, and he was somewhat at a loss as to which. Good!

He made his way back to the house, dogs in tow, all the while relishing the anticipation of an unknown which, unlike his prior life, held no danger, or at least none that he could see.

Ready and refreshed, he was sitting back at his desk when the connection hit him! Could it be? Could this most unlikely of sources provide clues to something he had suspected prior to his retirement? Suspected but had never been able to substantiate?

Once again, he followed a maze of ever-so-slight hunches and obscure signs, revisiting connections so tenuous as to be absurd. It was all he could do to remain professional, let alone consider sharing them with anyone else.

Never mind that, he thought with a smile at his own stubborn, relentless drive to dig for more, more facts to expose, more truths to uncover, more patterns and connections to unearth where no one ever imagined them to be.

Never mind, he repeated, this time out loud.

September eleventh, two thousand and one…

Even though Henry’s entire career had centered around the Europe desk, neither he nor his colleagues were spared the seismic shift subsequent to 9/11. How had this not been anticipated? A shaken intelligence community had reeled in disbelief, asking, shouting, thinking, whispering and muttering this mantra countless times over the next months.

But where others had directed themselves to the lack of foresight, Henry had leapfrogged through fragile connections, yielding an alternate explanation for 9/11 whose very implausibility begged for its total dismissal—what a fairy tale! But a reluctant examining and re-examining of the what-ifs were like an itch begging to be scratched. And if the what-ifs were the case, he had to at the very least consider the possibility that the hypothesis he had included in the file might hint at a future event on a scale similar to or even greater than 9/11.

No matter how hard he tried, he could not bring himself to dismiss this thought. That was the lesson that he and everyone else had learned from 9/11. The unthinkable had happened on that day, changing the world for the foreseeable and unforeseeable future. Therefore, nothing, nothing, was out of the question; everything was on the table!

It didn’t hurt that the source of the dossier in his hands was an old friend whose unwavering trust had been earned through many trials and tribulations. As such, it demanded that he consider seriously what he had read so far, no matter how fantastical and absurd. Perhaps its over-the-top tale would point to and help derail an upcoming calamity of similar magnitude. He quailed at the thought. His many years in the field had taught him that when it came to expectations and disappointments, he would rather be pleasantly surprised than be let down.

He read on. His suspicions would either reveal themselves, or they would not. He could live with that. However, he did find himself somewhat unprepared for the brief emotional storm that engulfed him. Perhaps it was the material: Jenna’s own struggles echoed his own.

He willed himself into one of his many breathing exercises: three quick breaths in… hold for a count… release slowly… conjure up pleasant images—a smile, a touch, a taste.

And again.

And again.

Several times more.

It worked.

That’s better, he reassured himself out loud, raising his voice enough to be heard.

Reacting to his voice, Rocky and Apollo looked up from their resting spot at his feet. Sensing no danger, they resumed sleeping, enjoying the thick carpeting and the familiar presence of their human.

Everything was as it should be.

Henry turned the page. A blank page, save at its center, where it simply said, 2006.

♦♦♦

"This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca

Chapter 1

Some miles east of Santa Fe, somewhere in New Mexico, Chris sat on his bed in the small room he had to himself at his home base—courtesy of his Delta Force reserve status. Two small windows ushered in the afternoon sun, brightening the light colored walls.

A handful of model airplanes took up space on a low shelf, a small touch that made his various quarters feel at least a little like home. He even ranked them according to a ‘percent of home’ grading scale. This one earned a thirty-five percent: high enough on the scale to feel comfortable, low enough to make it easy to leave. Neat and tidy, just as he liked it.

He was just back from yet another tour in Iraq, his third yearly since the Gulf War began in ’03. A soldier with an impeccable record of army experience and security credentials, his Islamic background had made him invaluable in the current war.

He was glad to be Stateside again, but, as always, dampened by having to let go of camaraderie born on the battlefield. I’ll miss some of the action. But he knew he would miss far more. Even the training itself, prepping like a master violinist on stage, Tom Brady with a pigskin, or Tim Duncan on the hardwood. It was also good to play in a theatre where, at least initially, you knew who the good guys and bad guys were. And, most of all, he would miss the unit’s color-blind environment. There was no time for black, white, yellow, or brown when meeting the dangers they faced. All that stupidity was left behind: you and your unit were all army green, and that was all that mattered.

A brief stint in law enforcement had quickly revealed it wasn’t for him. He wasn’t one for rules and regulations, or worse, the second-guessing.

You’re not a cop anymore; you’re a damn lawyer! his old partner used to say. The Fourth Amendment, state laws, departmental guidelines—hell, you need to consult your departmental manual before tying your damn shoelaces in the morning!

The complete truth from a complete character, Chris thought to himself. Even with him as partner, the three months Chris had lasted were among the most torturous in his life. No, that definitely wasn’t for him, and, instead, he had turned to private security.

With the mindless efficiency of a task performed thousands of times, he quickly went over his personal gear, taking inventory to make sure nothing was missing.

And then there was Jenna… That was complicated.

They had spent less time together as of late, an inevitable outcome of his intensified training following the terror attacks, as well as of her frequent trips away from NYC to maintain client relations with her firm.

But there was something else to it, and he could not quite put his finger on it. Still, he sensed it.

Perhaps they were just two adults at peace with how things were, taking pleasure from a shared connection without having to go beyond that. Not everyone needs to marry and have a family. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, he mused. A romance might be just that—a romance.

Or perhaps not. Chris had reached this stage in prior relationships and, thus far, had expertly dodged ring-seeking situations. Whenever his keen radar detected danger, he would run interference, create diversions, flank threats, and break free, proof positive that military training could be applied to all aspects of life. The irony of the army’s slick Be all that you can be, ad campaign did not escape him.

I doubt that this is what the advertising boys had in mind, he smirked to himself. Jenna would have appreciated it.

Jenna…!

This last thought came to him unbidden, a near-instinctive follow-up to his wry cynicism about the army ads.

Jenna…

Doubts and more doubts; doubts about where the relationship was going;