Character from Mage Errant by John Bierce
A five-affinity prince of Highvale who bullies Hugh with the casual cruelty of someone who has never been told no — gifted with rare magical breadth and utterly lacking the character to deserve it.
Rhodes is the worst kind of bully — the kind who is genuinely talented. His five affinities (wind, lightning, force, wood, ice) are an extraordinarily rare breadth of magical ability, and he wields that advantage the way he wields his princely title: as proof that the social hierarchy is natural and he belongs at its top. He torments Hugh not out of particular malice but out of a deep, unexamined entitlement — Hugh is small, weak, and has a single embarrassing affinity (before his pact), which makes him a natural target in Rhodes's worldview. The idea that someone beneath him might eventually surpass him is not something Rhodes has prepared himself to handle. His former master Aedan shaped much of his worldview, and Highvale's aristocratic culture reinforced it. He is spoiled, prideful, and genuinely dangerous — but there are cracks in the facade that suggest the cruelty is learned rather than innate.
Tall and classically handsome with blonde hair, blue eyes, and the polished bearing of aristocratic breeding. He carries himself with the effortless confidence of someone who grew up being told he was exceptional and never had reason to question it. His clothing is expensive, his posture is perfect, and his expression defaults to a condescending half-smile that makes lesser students instinctively step aside.
Also known as: Rhodes, Rhodes Charax, Prince Rhodes