The field hospital was a symphony of suffering. Groans, muffled screams, the whimpers of the not-quite-men and the rasping coughs of those clinging to the last dregs of life formed a macabre chorus. Thomas lay amongst the chaos, his leg swathed in bandages that did little to quell the throbbing pain. The battle, a blur of smoke and fear, had left him stranded. Yet, it wasn't his enemies who'd hauled him to this sliver of dubious sanctuary. No, it was them – the shadowed soldiers, the ones no one spoke of in polite company.