Chapter 10: Kavak and Voln
After her defeat to Gort, Voln fled from Sota and took refuge in Damarkan in the guise of a Veshwe, as Gort had done before her. So there she hid, dwelling in the gardens of Damarkan and doing the bidding of Shylar and her servants, yet watching and listening to all that went on around her. So it was that she noticed that Kavak was often long gone from Canath and that he would be called by the Aslah but would only sometimes come to them and her suspicions were roused and she began to visit the halls of Canath, at Shylar's bidding, and took note that the halls were barren and plain and that little had been done to Canath since her memories of it when she had dwelt upon fair Damarkan.
So long she searched the halls of Canath and so deep that she also found the door which Kavak had long since fallen through and she discovered that the worlds of the Aslah were not all and that there were worlds beyond their own. So she traveled long and far, as Kavak had done before her, and discovered all manner of strange and harsh worlds. So it was that she too came to Kiwani, though she knew it not as such, and was amazed when she saw the flowers and grasses of Damarkan grown all over the lands and then also became aware of a great commotion high in the mountains and made her way there, where she discovered Kavak and Sarax and their minions in mortal combat and she saw Sarax defeated but Kavak cast down also and near his end and the seed of a plan was hatched and she revealed herself to the Dowatu.
Although there was at first much suspicion, she went to Kavak and began to tend him and slowly she did heal his wounds and the dwarves thought her good and a friend of Kavak and his wits did soon return and he was amazed at she who had tended him, for Voln had cast aside her disguise and Kavak could see her. And upon his standing, she threw herself to her knees and called for his mercy and repented her evil, for Gort had cast her out of Herophet and she was utterly defeated. And Kavak was moved, for she had tended him and declared her meekness, when she could have let him pass away.
But Kavak was not so easily fooled, for his memory was long and he remembered the treachery of Gort and the sundering of Damarkan. So he took her into Lima, where she might remain and help rebuild it and for long did Kavak stay in Kiwani, watching over Voln and all that she did, for fear of treachery. So Lima was rebuilt even greater and Voln wondered at the power of the dwarves, dressed in bronze, and their smithies whose gold and silver seemed to sparkle with the Light of Vaalea.
For so long did Voln follow the will of Kavak and with such vigor did she rebuild the splendor of Lima that Kavak forgot of his misgivings and returned to Damarkan, giving all of Lima over to Grism. And when he returned, Kavak found that Voln had followed each order of Grism and had doubled her work and at last he distrusted her no more, believing her transformed and repentant, even though Grism warned his master not to be hasty, for her heart was still bad. But Kavak was now blind and grew close to Voln and spent much of his time with her. And when all of Lima was rebuilt and a great festival was had, so she followed him to his bed.
And such was their apparent happiness, that there was a great joy in Lima and the Dowatu did find room in their hearts for her and to Voln and Kavak were given two sons, Dyonicos and Graxber. In time, Voln did look to Kavak and ask for a palace of her own and Kavak assented and he gave to Voln a great number of his Dowatu who would forge a palace of great beauty for her, which was called Vä. And in time Vä was built and filled with the wonders of the Dowatu and Kavak gave to her an army of bronze clad dwarves for her protection and the dominion of all Lima and Vä whenever he returned to Canath. And to Lima did Graxber make his home and in Vä was Dyonicos reared under the tutelage of his mother.
So it was that Voln was rebuilt and her power once more grown and her thoughts turned to Gort. For her lies and hate and deceit were not gone, but hidden from Kavak, and within her burnt even greater the fire of her own evil and her long laid plans were now soon to ripen and she hoped not only to be Queen of Sota once again and there rule with Hakkan and Yerraz, but also claim dominion of all Kiwani and see the destruction of Lima and the downfall of Kavak and his dwarves.