Reckoning (Book 5) by Megg Jensen

the forest where Gaia, one of the tree spirits who had protected Hutton's Bridge, lived.
    Bastian slowed above the treetops, closed his eyes, and changed into a human. He fell through the trees, limbs scratching his arms and legs, leaves smacking him in the face. A bough reached out, grabbing Bastian and breaking his fall. It pulled him close to the trunk where a face formed.
    Gaia. Sap ran down her woody cheeks. "Bastian," she said, her voice raspy. "The end is coming. My power is fading. I cannot protect you any longer."
    He reached out, resting his palm on her cheek. It was softer than he'd thought it would be. Unlike the rough bark of the tree, Gaia's face was more like the supple wood found in new growth. "I'm so sorry," he said.
    "My brothers are gone. Last night when the blood moon appeared, they released their final breaths. I was always stronger than they were, but even I can't hold the fog on my own much longer. I cannot keep you safe." She took a deep breath, the tree shaking with the effort.
    "It's okay," Bastian said. "We plan to evacuate the children and take them away from the Dragonlands. You can rest now." He left his hand on her face, wanting to give her comfort.
    Gaia's eyelids fluttered. "I don't want to rest. Not yet. There is so much I will miss in this world."
    "We all must rest at some point," Bastian said. "It is the way of the world. All must go eventually."
    "Not all..." her voice wavered as she trailed off. "There are some who live on, despite the laws of nature. They must be broken. Defeated. They will be the ruin of the Dragonlands."
    "There is a path to death for all," Bastian said. "I will find a way to end the evil. I promise you this. I will not rest until it has been defeated."
    Gaia sighed, her breath smelling of moss and wet bark. "I know you won't, my dear Bastian. You are the warlord the Dragonlands needs."
    He cringed. Blythe had said the same thing in the Meadowlands. He was a warrior, but he was no warlord.
    "You will want to give up. You will want to leave. Without you, the world will fall. Not just the Dragonlands. The whole world, Bastian. Evil knows no boundaries," Gaia said, her voice softer.
    Bastian thought of his children, of Farah's golden curls and Adam's sweet cooing, and knew, beyond a doubt, that he would stay and fight. Gaia was right. Evil wouldn't stop at the Dragonlands’ borders. It would follow them across the sea. It would hunt them down until it had destroyed every bit of good in the world.
    He would not allow it to win. He might not be a warlord, but he would fight with every ounce of strength in him.
    "Sleep, Gaia," he said. "I will protect everyone from the evil. Your time is done."
    Her lips curled into a small smile. "Before I go, will you kiss me, just this once?"
    Bastian leaned in closer to the tree spirit who had once been a woman of flesh and blood. She had given up her life to protect Hutton's Bridge. It was the least he could do to thank her. Her lips were surprisingly warm. She sighed, letting a breath of air into Bastian's mouth. A warm sweetness traveled down his throat and into his chest. Bastian gasped and pulled away.
    Gaia laughed. "That was all of the magic I had left. Use it to protect your loved ones, Bastian." Her eyes closed, her face settling into the wood, all traces of the woman lost to the bark.
    Bastian ran his hand along the place her face had been, straining to see her once more. She was gone. Then he noticed another change. The fog was dissipating. Mist swirled around him, thinning out as it had done the last time he'd begged Gaia to lift the veil. Soon the sun shone through the treetops, filtering down to where Bastian sat on the wide bough.
    He kissed the tree trunk once more, then began to climb. His face emerged through the canopy of leaves and was greeted by the sun. On the other side of the sky, the blood moon hung in stark contrast. Bastian burst into the air as a dragon and flew back to Hutton's Bridge, landing next to