Meeting Vonotar in Fire on the Water is straightforward enough. As long as you take the direct approach, you will at least see him.
Inevitably, about three-fourths of the way through the book, you will find yourself on Section 100, sailing on the way home to Holmgard on the flagship of the Duranese fleet sent to raise the siege of your capital city. Suddenly the fleet will be confronted by a fleet of death-hulks, ships that have been sunk and have been brought back by dark wizardry, piloted by the Zombie crew of the ships' dead sailors. The flagship of these death-hulks will ram into your ship, forcing everyone to abandon ship.
- Jump onto the deck of the death-hulk flagship (30)
You will instantly get into combat with a Zombie crew. If you win, you'll be given some options, but no matter what you do, you'll find yourself in another combat with a Helghast. If you win, you'll make your way onto the deck of the death-hulk and see a firebolt coming from a tower in the rear of the death-hulk you're on, destroying a Duranese ship.
- Investigate the tower (328)
You will see a hunchbacked wizard in the tower above you. This is Vonotar the Traitor, but only if you have ever been given the Crystal Star Pendant (that is, only if you have met Banedon in the previous book) will you be able to identify him here by name and know the full depths of what he's been doing throughout this book. You can attack him if you wish, but know that you won't actually be able to capture or kill him here. No matter what, Vonotar will escape and live to fight another day.