How to Save a Fae (Heir of Dragons Book 2)

He's too close to the wall. Someone would have to engage him from close quarters. She cursed herself for not taking him out earlier, and then turned to Valdar below, signaling to him. “Father, one of them is attacking the wall! We need a small force to engage these types directly!”
With the utmost reticence, her father gave the order. “Ten swordsmen! I need ten of you!” He singled out a few of the nervous swordsmen in his midst, beckoning to them. “Form a line and defend the wall. The archers will cover you, but it's imperative that we protect the stone! If the outer defense is penetrated, they will run riot!”
The swordsmen climbed the wall and hastily lowered themselves onto its other side with ropes to keep from opening the gate and risking an enemy charge. Now on the ground, the ten Fae swordsmen drew their weapons and immediately set their sights on the ruffians attacking the stonework. The heavily-armored Krah was still working at it, his beefy green arms hammering the sledge like mad. His single-minded efforts would surely pulverize the outer stones of the wall if he was allowed to continue uninterrupted, and in the masses of warriors surging behind him there were doubtlessly several others intent on joining him in chipping away at the barrier.
The swordsmen fanned out, forming a line before the wall in the hopes of intercepting the next wave of wall-breakers. Two of them, visibly nervous for the savageness of the Krah, engaged the warrior at the wall, rushing at him with piercing cries. The panting lizard-man had thankfully tired himself out in battering the wall, and so was unable to put up a good fight against the Fae warriors that teamed up against him. He was promptly cut down where he stood, though both of the Fae swordsmen remarked on the damages he'd left behind. “He broke several bricks. The wall's a bit thin here!” called out one of them before returning to formation.
Great... A few more of those and the Trading Center will be easy pickings... Minx did her best to snipe any warriors who got too close to the thin line of swordsmen, but it soon became clear that she couldn't cover all of them herself. She couldn't keep up with the mad rush on her own, and the other archers were too sluggish to fill in the gaps. She began firing arrows two at a time, neutralizing the most pressing targets, but the others on the wall couldn't operate at the same pace. They missed various shots due to the low lighting on the battlefield, or fumbled with their arrows due to the shaking of their hands. The realities of war were far too terrifying for the majority of them. “Come on!” she called to her allies. “Take careful aim and then fire. Don't overthink it!”
The Fae huntress, nearly out of arrows, drew from a spare quiver nearby and continued her relentless assault. Already she had gone through twenty-five or thirty arrows, nearly each representing a hit. There were so many targets surging toward the Trading Center walls however that she hardly felt she'd put a dent in them. As her arms ached and her fingers bled for the constant stress of the bow string, she remembered what it had been like fighting alongside Kaleb and the other dragons. She recalled his frightening power whenever he took on his dragon form—the devastating fire attacks he was able to launch, and the disorienting effect of his leathery wings on windswept targets.
She wished he was there, longed for him. If only Kaleb were here, this would be different. We'd crush this force easily. Minx was no stranger to pride, and admitting that Kaleb was the more capable warrior was a difficult thing for her to do. But after having fought many battles by his side, she'd grown to admire his power and technique—and she missed it, now that it was gone.
How's it going up there? chanced Mau from down below.
We need the dragons, was Minx's reply. This isn't going to work, Mau. We can't hold them back forever. If we're going to crush this army permanently, we're going to need their help. I wish it wasn't the case, but... We should reach out to them. If Kaleb hears about what we've dealt with, I'm sure he'll agree to help. Some of the others will, too.
But... the dragons don't want anything to do with us, countered Mau. How are you supposed to get a dragon to do something they don't want to do? We can't exactly drag them into battle by the ear!
Kaleb will listen, she insisted, loosing another volley. He'll listen, and he'll help. I'm sure of it.
There was a cry from down below as one of the Fae swordsmen was struck by a Krah war hammer. The heavy weapon crumpled the swordsman's thin armor and lifted him off the ground. Minx knelt down to get a better vantage point, leaned over the edge of the wall and sent a well-placed arrow into the Krah's breastplate, felling him instantly.
I was careless. I should have been paying attention instead of speaking to Mau. I could have saved him. She spat, furious with herself. That's another one you've let down—another you've abandoned to die.
The battle raged for more than an hour before the army began to thin. The remaining dark forces began to retreat as the wall-breakers were killed, leaving only seven of the ten Fae swordsmen standing. Three of those seven had been seriously injured and would spend a good deal of time in the medical tent, further depleting their forces in the near-term. Once more, Fae casualties hadn't been very high, but as the enemy forces dissipated, the blow to morale was undeniable. They'd been unprepared for such an attack, and had seriously underestimated their enemy's numbers.
Everyone knew instinctively that this was not the last attack. Quite the contrary, they knew that more marauders would come—and it was possible that the next